The Centre has extended the Budget Session of Parliament by three days to take up an amendment aimed at expediting the implementation of the women’s reservation law, officially known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Empowerment Act) Amendment Bill. The special session, scheduled from April 16 to 18, is intended to operationalise the quota ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The original Constitution amendment, passed unanimously in 2023, mandates 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, its implementation was linked to the completion of delimitation based on the first census conducted after the law’s passage, which could delay enforcement until as late as 2034.
To address this, the government plans to introduce an amendment allowing the reservation to be implemented using the 2011 census data, thereby bypassing the wait for the 2027 census.
The proposed changes also include expanding the strength of the Lok Sabha to 816 seats, with 273 seats reserved for women. If passed, the first elections under the new quota system are expected to be held in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Uttarakhand.
As a constitutional amendment, the bill will require a special majority in Parliament, including the support of two-thirds of members present and voting, as well as a majority of the total membership of the House.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to political parties for “collective action” to ensure the passage of the amendment. In preparation, the Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a whip directing all its Members of Parliament to be present during the three-day session, with no leave permitted.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has urged MPs to maintain decorum during proceedings. “We have issued a bulletin for this, and I have personally appealed to all Members within Parliament, as well as to all political parties. It was discussed at the Business Advisory Committee meetings too that the use of banners, placards, unparliamentary language, and sloganeering is not befitting of a democracy,” Birla was quoted as saying.
Kharge raises concerns over process, lack of details
Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has questioned the timing and manner of the proposed amendment, raising concerns over the lack of clarity on key aspects such as delimitation.
In a letter to Modi dated April 11, Kharge said, “without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law.”
He pointed out that it has been 30 months since the legislation was passed and criticized the government for convening the special session without consulting opposition parties or sharing details on how delimitation would be carried out.
“It has been 30 months since then, and now this special sitting has been called without taking us into confidence and your government is seeking our cooperation again without revealing any details on the delimitation going to be done. You will appreciate that without details of the delimitation and other aspects, it would be impossible to have any useful discussion on this historic law,” he wrote.
Kharge also disputed the government’s claim of prior consultations. “You mention in your letter that your government has engaged in dialogue with political parties regarding this. However, I am pained to point out that this goes against the truth since all the Opposition parties have been urging the Government to call an All-Party meeting after the current round of elections is over on April 29th 2026 to discuss the Constitution amendments being contemplated,” Kharge’s letter said.
He further alleged that the timing of the session, during ongoing assembly elections, suggested political motives, saying it “only reinforces our belief that your government is hurrying the implementation of the bill to gain political mileage rather than truly empower women.”
Kharge suggested that an all-party meeting be convened after April 29 to deliberate on the proposed changes and the delimitation process before proceeding with the amendment. (With inputs from agencies)
