The Narendra Modi government is expected to present the Women’s Reservation Bill, along with a related Constitution amendment bill, for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the special session of Parliament on Thursday.
The Constitution amendment bill, part of the government’s effort to fast-track the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Law of 2023, proposes increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850. Of these, 815 seats will be allocated to the states, while the remaining 35 will be for the Union Territories.
While opposition parties have expressed support for women’s reservation, they have strongly opposed the delimitation provision in the amendment bill, claiming it is politically motivated.
“We continue to support women’s reservation and demand the implementation of an earlier amendment. However, the BJP-led Centre is manipulating the delimitation process. All parties have united in their decision to oppose this bill,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters on Wednesday.
“We have consistently supported women’s reservation, in 2010 and again in 2023, when the Constitution amendment was passed unanimously. Our demand is simple: implement the amendment, don’t use it as a political tool,” Kharge added.
Stalin burns copy of the bill
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday burnt a copy of the delimitation bill and dubbed it a "black law" and alleged it seeks to make the Tamil people "refugees" in their own land.
The CM torched the bill during an event in Namakkal, a town in western Tamil Nadu, where he is currently campaigning for elections.
Opposition to vote against
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties met at Kharge’s residence in Delhi on Wednesday to strategise for Parliament’s three-day special sitting, which begins on Thursday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was also part of these discussions.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accused the government of using the issue of women’s reservation as a diversion from the real issue.
“What the government is proposing now has nothing to do with women’s reservation. We will not allow the ‘Hissa Chori’ from OBC, Dalit, and Adivasi communities by ignoring caste census data. We will also not let smaller states—Southern, North Eastern, and North Western—be treated unfairly,” Gandhi posted on X.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, are expected to be introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, while the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will be presented by Home Minister Amit Shah.
What are the bills about?
The 2023 constitutional amendment provides for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, the women’s quota would only come into effect after the completion of the delimitation exercise based on the 2027 Census. This means the reservation wouldn’t be enforceable before 2034 under the original law. The government now proposes amendments to bring the reservation into effect from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
If passed, the amendment will increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, with 273 reserved for women.
The government has been seeking opposition support to pass the amendment bill and implement women’s reservation starting with the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, using data from the 2011 census. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to the floor leaders of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, emphasizing the importance of implementing women’s reservation in the 2029 elections.
The total strength of the ruling NDA in the Lok Sabha stands at 292, while the major opposition parties have 233 MPs. To pass the Constitution amendment bill, a two-thirds majority of those present in the House at the time of voting is required.
