Centre Tables Key Bills on Women’s Reservation and Delimitation in Lok Sabha
The Union government on Thursday introduced three significant bills in the Lok Sabha aimed at advancing women’s reservation and initiating the next delimitation exercise. The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 were tabled during a special Parliament session from April 16 to 18. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also introduced the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to extend women’s reservation provisions to Union Territories, including Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.
The proposed constitutional amendment outlines plans to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 members, with up to 815 representatives directly elected from State constituencies and a maximum of 35 members representing Union Territories. The draft also proposes amendments to Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution to facilitate the redistribution of seats. However, the delimitation process remains contentious, with opposition parties expressing concerns that it could reduce parliamentary representation for southern states while increasing the share for northern regions.
The introduction of the bills triggered strong protests in the House, with Congress MP KC Venugopal terming them “anti-constitutional.” Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav also opposed the measures, despite backing women’s reservation in principle. Responding to the criticism, Shah stated that the census process, including caste enumeration, is already underway and defended the government’s position, asserting that reservation based on religion would be unconstitutional.
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