The modification to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 will be presented by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal during a special three-day session of the Budget Session that starts today, April 16.
Home Minister Amit Shah will present the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, while Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will bring the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
The delineation of Lok Sabha constituencies is connected to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which offers a 33% reservation for female legislators. The government intends to change the 2023 Act and the constitution to separate the delimitation procedure from the 2027 census in order to establish the women’s reservation prior to the 2029 General Elections.
Increasing the number of seats in the House to 850—815 for the States and 35 for the Union Territories—is what the government has suggested. There are presently 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.
Congress has opposed the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 to carry out the delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha, although supporting the 33% reservation for female lawmakers in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures.
The government has suggested expanding the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats, because the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 is connected to the Lok Sabha’s delimitation process.
for the Union Territories and the remaining 35 for the States. There are now 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.
Delimitation was opposed by the India bloc.
In order to examine suggested changes to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, the Congress convened a parliamentary strategy group meeting on Wednesday at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s home, 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi, ahead of the special sitting of the Parliament.
The meeting was attended by senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress President, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, RJD Working President Tejashwi Yadav, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, and others.
Following the meeting, the leaders of the INDIA group made the decision to oppose the delimitation measure that would have amended Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 to give women lawmakers in the Lok Sabha and state assembly a 33% reservation.
The opposition stated that it is not opposed to women’s reservation and asked the Center to enact Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023. However, they objected to the delimitation process because they felt it would reduce the southern and northeastern states’ representation in the Lok Sabha.
A cunning and malevolent action: Chidambaram
Opposition leaders have pointed out that the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 will reportedly reduce the representation of southern states in the House and does not enhance the Lok Sabha’s seats on a pro-rata basis.
The proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 for the delineation of Lok Sabha constituencies was referred to the Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday as a “mischievous and diabolical” attempt, claiming that it would reduce the representation of southern states in Parliament.
“The concerns I expressed over the past week have come to pass. TN’s strength will appear to rise from 39 to 58 when the Lok Sabha’s strength increases by 50%, from 543 to 815. However, the former Finance Minister stated, “This is an illusion.”It will drop to 46 after delimitation. After delimitation, Uttar Pradesh’s strength will rise from 80 to 120 and thereafter to about 140.”The representation of all Southern States, which presently stands at 24.3%, will drop to 20.7%. This is a cunning, evil attempt to drastically change the federal balance. The leader of Congress declared, “We must oppose this.”
