Women's Quota & Elimination Bills Tabled in Lok Sabha

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 16 April 2026

• Govt seeks nod for quota bill; Opposition questions delimitation
• Special session underway; focus is on women’s reservation rollout
• Push for 2029 quota faces scrutiny over seat redistribution

The Indian government is set to table three major bills in today’s special Budget Session, covering women’s reservation from 2029 and consistency delimitation. Two of the bills, The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 will be introduced by Law Minster Arjun Ram Meghwal, whereas Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will be tabled by Home Minister Amit Shah.

Parliament has convened on a special session on April 16-18 for the furtherance of the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. The Law Minister will propose suspending Rule 66 that would make it possible to pass both the amendment bill for women’s reservation as well as the Delimitations Bill together.

The Opposition has raised concerns over the proposed criteria for redrawing constituencies and the plans to expand Lok Sabha seats from 543 to a potential 850. Prime Minster Narendra Modi has appealed for broad consensus. "This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity," he said.

Efforts are underway by the government to build Opposition consensus for passing the amendment bill to roll out women’s reservation from the 2029 general elections.

The motion states that the this House "do suspend the proviso to rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha in its application to the motions for taking into consideration and passing of the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in as much as these are dependent upon the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026".

A meeting of Opposition parties was convened by Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, to review their approach. "We are all in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill, but the way in which they (the government) have brought it, we have got reservations," Mallikarjun said.