Delimitation Central to Women's Reservation Strategy: Govt

By: WE Staff | Monday, 20 April 2026

• Delimitation key to 33% women’s quota rollout by 2029 polls
• Lok Sabha seats may rise to 850 with no state losing share
• Govt delinks quota rollout from Census to avoid delay

The sustained debate on the scope and impact of the Constitution (131^st Amendment) Bill, 2026 continue which seeks a 33% women’s quota by 2029, the government on Sunday responded to key concerns legislation on Sunday.

To outline the purpose and the intent of the move, the government emphasized that the delimitation exercise is essential to operationalize the 33% women’s quota approved by Parliaments under the 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

“Delimitation means finalising the boundary of a constituency. It is essential for implementing women’s reservation. The limit on seats in the Lok Sabha was set at 550 in 1976. In 1971, the population of India was 54 crore. Today it is 140 crore. Therefore, it is important to increase seats to 850 in the Lok Sabha. This will enable fair representation of people in the Parliament,” the note said.

Emphasizing the plan to raise Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850, the official clarified that it followed a proportional scaling approach where a standardized 50% increase ensures balanced representation for states and UTs. Authorities said applying the model to 543 seats yields, 815 seats plus 35 for UTs, with no adverse impact on any state, including southern regions.

The official note said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provides that reservation for women will be implemented based on delimitation after the Census 2026. “If the government had waited for the Census and subsequent delimitation, women would not have been able to benefit from 33 per cent reservation even in the 2029 General Elections as the Census and subsequent delimitation period takes time. Therefore, to ensure timely benefits to half the population, it was considered necessary to delink implementation of the Act from this condition,” it said