India Fast-Tracks Women's Reservation

The government of India is planning to introduce two bills in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament to implement the women's reservation law before the completion of the delimitation exercise. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is holding meetings with various political parties, including the United States — National Democratic Coalition and non-Congress opposition parties, to build consensus. The proposed changes involve amending the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and the Delimitation Act. If approved, these laws would come into force on March 31, 2029, and would increase the number of India — Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816, with 273 seats reserved for women. A similar pro-rata reservation model will be applied to state legislative assemblies. The India — Election Commission of India is not mandated to carry out a pan-India delimitation exercise, which will instead be handled by a neutral delimitation commission. President Droupadi Murmu had previously assented to the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill in September 2023.