Respect for women is respect for nation, says PM on reservation push

The government will convene a special three-day session of Parliament beginning Thursday, a sitting expected to be stormy as it moves to introduce three major bills that could reshape India’s electoral architecture and representation system.

Signalling a significant reset in how political representation is structured, the government will take up the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Together, these aim to enable fresh delimitation based on updated Census data, expand the Lok Sabha’s strength and operationalise the long-pending one-third reservation for women.

At the heart of the session is the Constitutional Amendment Bill aimed at enabling the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. While the women’s reservation law was passed in 2023, it is yet to be operationalised, as it is linked to a fresh delimitation exercise. The government is now looking to amend relevant provisions to pave the way for its rollout ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.