The introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 — aimed at enabling women’s reservation and facilitating delimitation — was approved in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The Centre introduced key bills in the lower house to pave the way for the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or the Women’s Reservation Act, which was cleared by the Parliament in 2023, among others.
As the Centre sought the opposition’s support on the bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured the Lok Sabha that the representation of southern States in the House will not decrease if the women’s quota bill is implemented with increased strength of the House after delimitation.
He said the number of Lok Sabha seats in the five southern States will go up from the existing 129 to 195, with the share increasing from 23.76 per cent to 23.87 per cent.
PM Modi Addresses Lok Sabha
During his address in the lower house, Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed the implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures in 2029 and said that no state will face discrimination in the delimitation of constituencies.
PM Modi hit back at the opposition’s criticism of the bill, saying there’s “no need to give it a political colour”.
What Was Opposition’s Stance?
Addressing the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the government, in the guise of implementing women’s quota, wanted to slice and dice constituencies to gain victory in next elections.
Gandhi said it was an “open attack” on democracy.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned to meet on Friday, April 17.
