The central government has proposed an amendment to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 as part of efforts to implement women’s reservation in the House from the 2029 polls. The government will revise Article 81. The population for seat allocation will be based on the latest census data, as decided by Parliament. There will be a special three-day sitting of Parliament, where the government is looking to move a constitutional amendment bill for the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha from 2029. This special part of the budget is session is being convened to amend provisions of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, and a proposed Delimitation Bill.
Under the proposal, 815 seats would go to states and 35 to Union Territories (UTs). The changes are expected to come into effect from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called out to all political parties to support collective action to ensure that the reservation is in place by 2029. “A historic decision related to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is set to take place in Parliament from April 16”, PM Modi wrote. Meanwhile, the opposition parties have expressed their concerns about the proposed delimitation bill. They have alleged that it will limit the representation of the southern states in the Lok Sabha. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said that the real issue is not women’s reservation at all, but rather the delimitation exercise being bundled with it.
