What Happened
- The Prime Minister stated that implementing women's reservation for the 2029 elections is the "collective sentiment of the nation"
- The statement follows the introduction of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 that proposes to amend Article 334A to delink women's reservation from a future census requirement
- The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment, 2023) had originally tied implementation to completion of a delimitation exercise based on the first census conducted after the Act's commencement
- The new Bills seek to enable implementation by allowing delimitation to proceed using 2011 Census data
- The government framed the Bills as fulfilling a historic commitment to women's political representation made when the 106th Amendment was passed in September 2023
Static Topic Bridges
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 — the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — reserves one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Delhi Legislative Assembly for women. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on September 20, 2023 and the Rajya Sabha on September 21, 2023, receiving near-unanimous support. The Act inserts two new articles — Article 330A (reservation in Lok Sabha) and Article 332A (reservation in State Assemblies) — and a new Article 334A that sets out the implementation conditions.
- Commonly known as: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
- Constitutional Amendment number: 106th (Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023)
- Articles inserted: Article 330A (Lok Sabha), Article 332A (State Assemblies including Delhi)
- Quantum of reservation: One-third of total seats; includes one-third of seats reserved for SC/ST
- Duration: 15 years from commencement (sunset clause); Parliament can extend
- Original implementation trigger under Article 334A: First census after Act commencement + delimitation based on that census
- Rotation: Reserved seats rotated among constituencies after each delimitation
- Lok Sabha vote: Passed with 454-2 majority; Rajya Sabha: 214-0
Connection to this news: The proposed 131st Amendment removes the census-first bottleneck in Article 334A — the key legislative barrier that had deferred women's reservation implementation — enabling it to proceed after the upcoming delimitation using 2011 Census data.
Historical Background of Women's Reservation in Parliament
The demand for 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies dates back to 1996, when the Women's Reservation Bill was first introduced in the 11th Lok Sabha. It lapsed with that House and was reintroduced and lapsed again in the 12th and 13th Lok Sabhas. The bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but could not be taken up in the Lok Sabha before that Parliament was dissolved. It was finally enacted in 2023 after nearly three decades of effort.
- First introduced: 1996 (11th Lok Sabha, Deve Gowda Government)
- Failed in: 12th LS, 13th LS, and stalled after 2010 Rajya Sabha passage
- Enacted: September 2023 (106th Amendment)
- Current women's representation in Lok Sabha: ~15% (82 out of 543 seats as of 2024 elections)
- Target after full implementation: ~33% (~283 of 850 seats under proposed expansion)
- International comparison: Rwanda (56% women in parliament — highest globally), Nordic countries typically 40%+
Connection to this news: The PM's statement and the new Bills represent the culmination of a 28-year legislative journey, with the 131st Amendment designed to operationalise the 106th Amendment without waiting another decade for a post-2026 census.
Special Majority Requirement for Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional amendments affecting parliamentary representation fall under Article 368, which provides the procedure for amending the Constitution. Amendments to core provisions — including those affecting state representation in Parliament (e.g., Article 82, 81) — require a special majority: two-thirds of members present and voting in each House AND a majority of the total membership of each House. Some amendments also require ratification by at least half of State Legislatures.
- Article 368: Power and procedure for amendment
- Simple majority (50%+1 of votes cast): Ordinary Bills
- Special majority: Two-thirds of members present and voting + majority of total membership of House
- Ratification by States required for: Amendments affecting representation of States in Parliament, federal structure (Articles 54, 55, 73, 162, 368 itself, etc.)
- The 106th Amendment was passed with exceptional bipartisan support (454-2 in Lok Sabha, 214-0 in Rajya Sabha)
Connection to this news: The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 also requires this special majority to pass Parliament, making bipartisan or at least cross-party support essential for operationalising women's reservation.
Key Facts & Data
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam: 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023
- Passed: September 20, 2023 (Lok Sabha), September 21, 2023 (Rajya Sabha)
- Lok Sabha vote: 454 in favour, 2 against
- Rajya Sabha vote: 214 in favour, 0 against
- Reservation quantum: One-third (33%) of total seats
- Implementation originally tied to: Post-2023 census + delimitation
- Proposed new trigger: Delimitation using any census data Parliament specifies (2011 Census)
- Sunset clause: 15 years from implementation (extendable by Parliament)
- Current women in Lok Sabha: ~15% (approx. 82 of 543 seats)
- Target timeline for implementation: 2029 Lok Sabha elections
- Articles inserted by 106th Amendment: Article 330A, Article 332A, Article 334A