Explained: Big Push For Women's Quota, Move To Redraw Lok Sabha Map

Copies of the Constitution amendment bills to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in parliament --- significantly reshaping India's electoral landscape by linking the rollout of reservation with a nationwide delimitation exercise and a major expansion of the Lok Sabha -- have been circulated among MPs ahead of the special parliament session where they will be tabled. This is expected to take place at an extended Budget session on April 16, 17 and 18.

NDTV has accessed copies of key draft legislations that show that the Centre is preparing to introduce three separate legislations.

Read: Why Such Great Hurry: Congress Vs BJP In Parliament Over Women's Quota Bill

These include a bill to operationalise one third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, a Delimitation Bill to set up a commission for redrawing constituencies, and a third bill to align laws governing Union Territories with the new framework.

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is expected to introduce the bills in parliament. 

In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said: 

Women's Reservation Bill is the need of the hour. This is the rightful due of our Nari Shakti to contribute to policymaking and empower the nation. The Modi government is resolved to bring and implement this legislation. This is a change that should certainly take place for the... https://t.co/Ed6MmaNVUc

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 14, 2026

The Proposed Changes

At the heart of the proposal is a twin exercise to fast-track 33 per cent reservation for women while simultaneously redrawing constituency boundaries using the latest available population data. Government sources say the aim is to ensure that the quota is implemented within a revised and updated electoral structure.

One of the most significant changes proposed is the expansion of the Lok Sabha. The Constitution amendment bill accessed by NDTV proposes increasing the maximum strength of the House to 815 members, along with up to 35 seats for Union Territories.

Read: Larger House Not Always Effective: Karti Chidambaram On More Lok Sabha Seats

At present, seat allocation continues to be based on the 1971 Census despite sharp demographic changes over the decades.

The draft legislation also redefines how population will be determined for seat allocation, allowing parliament to rely on the latest published census figures of 2011. This effectively clears the path for a fresh delimitation exercise, which has remained frozen for years.

Officials argue that the freeze has led to growing imbalances in representation due to population shifts, urbanisation and migration. 

The proposed framework seeks to lift this freeze and enable a comprehensive redraw of parliamentary and assembly constituencies.

Delimitation Bill

A separate Delimitation Bill provides for the constitution of a Delimitation Commission, chaired by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge, with the Chief Election Commissioner or a nominee and State Election Commissioners as members. The Commission will be tasked with readjusting seat allocation and redefining constituency boundaries based on updated census data.

The bills make it clear that women's reservation will come into effect only after the delimitation exercise is completed. The quota will apply to nearly one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, including those reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Read: Centre May Bypass Delimitation, Census To Fast Forward Women's Quota To 2029

The reservation is proposed to remain in force for 15 years, with seats rotating across constituencies in successive elections to ensure wider representation. 

UT Laws To Change Too

A third bill seeks to amend laws governing Union Territories such as Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry, bringing them in line with the revised constitutional scheme on delimitation and reservation. The proposals, however, are expected to trigger a wider political debate over timing, federal balance and the linkage between census, delimitation and reservation.

PM Wrote To Floor Leaders

Parliament, described as the supreme legislative body, is on the verge of creating history and the time is right to end decades of waiting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, calling for cooperation from all political parties for the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill. The Prime Minister has also written to all floor leaders, informing them of the special sitting starting April 16 to take forward the legislative agenda.

Read: "Time To End Decades Of Waiting": PM Modi On Women's Quota Law

The Delimitation Commission will publish draft proposals and invite objections and suggestions from the public before finalising its recommendations. Once notified in the Gazette, the new seat allocation and constituency boundaries will come into effect, and subsequent elections will be conducted on that basis.