Karnataka Launches Campaign for Women's Reservation Act

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Friday, 26 June 2026

Women's rights activists, academics, and civil society organisations in Karnataka have launched a statewide campaign calling for the immediate implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, arguing that the legislation should not remain contingent on a future Census and delimitation exercise. The campaign was unveiled during a public consultation held in Bengaluru on 25 June under the banner of the National Coalition for Women's Reservation (NCWR)-Karnataka and Naveddu Nilladiddare, a collective of organisations working towards gender justice.

Key Highlights:

• Karnataka activists seek immediate enforcement of the Women's Reservation Act
• Coalition opposes linking women's reservation to the Census and delimitation
• Statewide campaign will engage MPs, MLAs, and civil society ahead of Parliament's Monsoon Session

The coalition contended that the long-awaited promise of reserving 33 per cent of seats for women in Parliament and State Assemblies has remained unrealised despite the passage of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, commonly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. While the legislation received overwhelming parliamentary support, its implementation was made dependent on the completion of a fresh Census and the subsequent delimitation of constituencies, effectively delaying women's political representation.

In a statement issued after the consultation, the coalition described the current framework as a setback for gender equality. It argued that women have waited nearly three decades for political representation and should not be required to wait for additional constitutional and administrative processes before the law takes effect.

The campaign also referred to developments in April 2026, when the Union government introduced a legislative package, including the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and amendments relating to Union Territories, aimed at operationalising the reservation. According to the coalition, linking women's reservation with seat expansion and delimitation risks complicating an issue that already enjoys broad political support.

The organisations welcomed the parliamentary opposition that led to the defeat of the proposed constitutional amendment, maintaining that women's political rights should remain independent of debates surrounding federal representation. They argued that combining the two issues could create regional imbalances and undermine India's federal structure.

With Parliament's Monsoon Session approaching, NCWR-Karnataka announced plans to conduct public consultations and a statewide signature campaign. The coalition intends to meet Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly from Karnataka, urging them to seek amendments that would enable the immediate enforcement of the 33 per cent reservation within the existing legislative framework.

The group also plans to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other state leaders, requesting the Karnataka Assembly to adopt a resolution calling for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act without preconditions. It further urged that any future delimitation exercise should be carried out through a transparent and consultative process involving state governments and other stakeholders, rather than being linked to women's representation.

The coalition also emphasised the need for an inclusive approach to implementing reservation. It called for safeguards to ensure adequate representation for women from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC, religious minority, and transgender communities, arguing that without such provisions, the benefits could remain concentrated among socially and politically privileged groups. It suggested that the framework established under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments for local self-governance could serve as a model for designing a more inclusive system of political reservation.