Centre plans to roll out 33 % reservation of seats for women in 2029 Lok Sabha election

The introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, popularly referred to as the women’s reservation Bill, was introduced in Lok Sabha on September 19, 2023.

The Centre plans to roll out 33 percent reservation of seats for women, in the 2029 Lok Sabha election, according to a report by Indian Express.

The move, which is called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is linked to the delimitation exercise. The reservation promises one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies in the next election. The introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, popularly referred to as the women’s reservation Bill, was introduced in Lok Sabha on September 19, 2023.

“The Census has been announced, and the other steps will follow. The women’s reservation Bill is linked to the delimitation process. We are aiming to roll it out in the next election,” sources in the government told IE.

Why is move linked to delimitation exercise?

According to the Constitution, the reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies shall come into effect after the delimitation exercise is taken based on the figures from the first Census conducted after the enactment of the Act.

Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral constituencies and determining the number of seats for the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. It also involves designating seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

For the delimitation exercise to be conducted after the next Census, Parliament will have to pass a Delimitation Act that may lead to an increase in Lok Sabha seats. Article 82 of the Constitution mandates readjustment of seats after every Census.

Earlier this month, the Centre announced that the process of data collection for the Census, along with caste enumeration, would commence next year. The exercise is expected to be completed by March 1, 2027.

For implementing women’s reservation in the next Lok Sabha elections, delimitation will have to be completed well in time.

Government sources told IE that the Census data will be available faster than the previous time with the advancement of technology. The enumeration will be conducted digitally using mobile applications for data collection and a central portal will collate the details and manage it, according to the IE report.

Delimitation has been a controversial issue, with a war of words erupting between the BJP and the DMK. The idea of determining seats based on population figures has become a concern for southern states as their share in India's population has shrunk from 24 percent in 1971 to 19.7 percent in 2023.

However, in February, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the southern states would not lose even a single seat on a pro-rata basis.