Government approves bill to amend women’s quota law

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday approved the draft amendment bill to the Women’s Reservation Act, paving the way for Parliament to take up legislation to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029.The draft bill approved by the Cabinet will be tabled in the special session of Parliament starting on April 16. TOI has learned that three bills will be introduced: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill and a separate legislation to extend reservation for women in union territories with assembly places.The proposed reforms will increase the number of LS seats from the current 543 to 816, of which 273 will be reserved for women. Bookings will also be made on a “vertical basis” with seat allocation for SC and ST.The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill, 2023, introduced provision for one-third reservation for women in LS and state assemblies. The law will come into effect after demarcation work is completed based on the 2027 census. Therefore, if the current law remains unchanged, it is expected to come into effect in 2034.People familiar with the development said the redistricting of LS districts will be based on the 2011 census rather than the proposed 2027 census. A similar exercise will be conducted in the state assembly, where seats will be reserved on a proportional basis.While the constitutional amendment will adjust Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the delimitation bill will lead to the establishment of a delimitation commission to redraw the boundaries of LS and parliamentary constituencies.Once the bill is approved by Parliament, the proposed law will come into effect after March 31, 2029, and will be implemented from the 2029 LS polls and the simultaneous assembly elections in Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh.