Govt Fast-Tracks Women’s Reservation Using 2011 Census

The Centre is moving to accelerate the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, planning to rely on the 2011 census to bypass the need for a fresh population count and delimitation exercise. Under the proposal, the Lok Sabha could expand from 543 to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women, aiming to enhance female political representation in Parliament.

The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, also called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, mandates a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and the Delhi Assembly. The quota includes seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and is set for 15 years, with Parliament having the power to extend it. Reserved seats are also to be rotated after each delimitation.

Though passed in 2023, the law has not yet come into force due to its linkage with the next census and delimitation exercise. Using 2011 census data could allow the government to operationalise the quota immediately, nearly 27 years after the concept of women’s reservation was first introduced and building on earlier local-body reservations for women.

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