What Happened
- A special three-day sitting of Parliament was convened to take up three Bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, the Delimitation Bill 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026.
- Prime Minister Modi addressed the Lok Sabha, assuring that "no injustice will be done" to any state from east to west and north to south in the delimitation exercise.
- Modi urged Opposition MPs not to view the Women's Reservation Bill through a political lens, stating that 33 percent reservation is a woman's right, not a "gift."
- The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced with 251 members voting in favour and 185 voting against its introduction.
- The Opposition staged protests and walkouts, accusing the government of using women's reservation as a packaging mechanism to push through a politically motivated delimitation exercise.
Static Topic Bridges
Article 85 — Presidential Power to Summon Parliament
Article 85 of the Constitution vests in the President the power to summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as deemed fit. The President may prorogue the Houses and may dissolve the Lok Sabha. Sessions are summoned on the advice of the Council of Ministers, and there must not be a gap of more than six months between two sessions.
- Parliament ordinarily meets in three sessions: Budget (Feb–May), Monsoon (July–Aug), and Winter (Nov–Dec).
- A special or extraordinary session can be called at any time by the President on the advice of the Cabinet.
- There is no minimum or maximum duration prescribed for a session.
Connection to this news: The special three-day Parliament sitting held in April 2026 was convened under Article 85 specifically to take up the delimitation and women's reservation legislation outside the regular session calendar.
Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 — Delimitation and Seat Expansion
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 proposes to amend Article 81, which governs Lok Sabha composition, to increase the maximum number of elected members from 550 to 850 (815 from states, 35 from union territories). It also proposes to amend Article 82, enabling delimitation to be conducted on the basis of the 2011 Census rather than waiting for the post-2026 Census.
- Current Lok Sabha: 543 elected seats (530 from states, 13 from union territories).
- Proposed strength after amendment: up to 850 members total.
- Amendment removes the existing freeze that linked delimitation to the census conducted after 2026.
- Women's reservation of one-third is to be operationalised through the expanded and freshly delimited constituencies.
- Requires Article 368 special majority: two-thirds of members present and voting plus an absolute majority of total membership in each House.
Connection to this news: PM Modi's address was centred on reassuring the House and the nation that the 131st Amendment and the accompanying Delimitation Bill are in the national interest and will not disadvantage any region.
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) — Women's Reservation
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act 2023, passed unanimously by both Houses, mandates one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, including within SC/ST reserved seats. However, it contained a trigger clause: the reservation would become operative only after the next delimitation exercise following the next census.
- Enacted in September 2023; notified in the Gazette but not yet operative.
- One-third reservation applies to Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and UT Assemblies (Delhi, Puducherry, J&K).
- The 131st Amendment Bill 2026 proposes to amend the trigger in Article 334A by decoupling it from the post-2026 Census and linking it instead to the 2011-census-based delimitation.
- The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 extends the same reservation framework to the legislative assemblies of Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Connection to this news: The government's stated purpose of the special session is to fast-track the implementation of women's reservation ahead of the 2029 general elections by conducting delimitation on the 2011 Census baseline.
Article 368 — Constitutional Amendment Procedure
Article 368 (Part XX of the Constitution) lays down the procedure for amending the Constitution. A constitutional amendment Bill must be passed by each House of Parliament by (i) an absolute majority of total membership and (ii) a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. Amendments affecting federal structure additionally require ratification by at least half of the State Legislatures.
- Special majority: majority of total membership AND two-thirds of members present and voting.
- Amendments to Articles 54, 55, 73, 162, 241, provisions relating to the Supreme Court, High Courts, and the Seventh Schedule require state ratification by not less than half the states.
- The President must give assent to a Constitution Amendment Bill — there is no pocket veto available.
- The Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) established the Basic Structure doctrine limiting Parliament's amendment power.
Connection to this news: The 131st Amendment Bill passed its Lok Sabha introduction vote with 251 in favour and 185 against; the government must clear the two-thirds special majority threshold across both Houses to make the amendment operative.
Key Facts & Data
- Bills introduced: Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, Delimitation Bill 2026, Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026.
- Introduction vote in Lok Sabha: 251 in favour, 185 against.
- Current Lok Sabha strength: 543 elected seats.
- Proposed Lok Sabha strength: up to 850 seats (815 from states + 35 from UTs).
- Women's reservation quantum: one-third of total seats.
- Census to be used for delimitation: 2011 Census (instead of post-2026 Census).
- Special session duration: three days.
- Key constitutional articles amended: Article 81, Article 82, Article 334A.