New Delhi: The Central Government initiated a high-stakes legislative process to significantly alter the landscape of Indian democracy by fast-tracking the Women’s Reservation Act. During consultations with several opposition leaders, the administration proposed an amendment to the 2023 Act to delink its implementation from the next decadal Census. By utilizing existing 2011 Census data for a fresh delimitation exercise, the government intends to ensure that the 33 per cent reservation for women is operationalized before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, rather than waiting until at least 2031 under current timelines.
To balance this historic shift and avoid displacing current representatives, the government is exploring a 50 per cent increase in the total strength of the Lok Sabha, raising the number of seats from 543 to 816. This expansion strategy is specifically designed to maintain the existing proportional representation of each state, thereby addressing long-standing fears from Southern states that population-based seat redistribution would unfairly benefit Northern regions. Under this proposed 816-seat model, 273 seats would be exclusively reserved for women. The expansion would also extend to State Assemblies; for instance, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly could see its seats rise from 403 to 605, while Uttarakhand might increase from 70 to 105.
The implementation of these changes will require a constitutional amendment to Articles 81 and 170, necessitating a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already begun outreach to parties like the NCP, YSRCP, and others to build a broad-based consensus. Beyond the seat count, the government is considering a lottery system to determine which specific one-third of constituencies will be reserved for women in each election cycle. If passed during the current Budget Session, which ends on April 2, this reform could reshape the political order as early as the 2027 assembly elections in several states.
