Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the National Democratic Alliance would ensure 33 percent reservation for women, while criticising the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Congress for not allowing related legislation to pass in Parliament. Addressing an election rally in Vasudevanallur constituency in Tamil Nadu, he reiterated that the NDA remains committed to providing the quota.
The statement comes at a time when campaigning has intensified ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Senior leaders from across the political spectrum, including Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have addressed rallies across the state in recent weeks.
Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in a single phase on April 23, with campaigning set to conclude on April 21. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said that more than 5.73 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes across 234 constituencies. A total of 4,023 candidates are in the fray. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
How Centre may move forward with 33% women’s quota
Despite the failure of a constitutional amendment bill linked to women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha, government sources indicated that the broader legislative framework remains intact. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, also known as the 106th Constitutional Amendment, continues to be in force, keeping open the possibility of implementing 33 percent reservation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The law links the implementation of reservation to the completion of the census and the subsequent delimitation process. The amendment bill that failed to pass was aimed at increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 based on the 2011 census data to facilitate the rollout of the quota. Its failure does not affect the reservation provision under the existing law.
The census exercise is currently underway and is expected to be completed by 2027. If followed by delimitation, the reservation could be implemented in the 2029 elections. As per reports, the government may hold consultations with political parties and could consider reintroducing the bill in a future session of Parliament.
Options under consideration
According to reports, the government is exploring multiple routes to operationalize the reservation. One approach involves increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats through delimitation, though this would require a two thirds majority in Parliament. Another option is to redraw constituency boundaries without increasing the total number of seats, which may be politically more feasible.
A third option under discussion is amending Article 334A to delink reservation from delimitation, enabling the implementation of reservation on the existing 543 seats. With the current freeze on delimitation set to end in 2026, the issue is expected to gain further prominence in the coming years. (With inputs from agencies)