New Delhi, India – The Lok Sabha is poised to cast votes today on three pivotal legislations, marking a significant step in India's ongoing special parliamentary session. These bills are central to operationalising women's reservation and facilitating a comprehensive delimitation exercise across the country.
The voting, scheduled for 4 PM IST, follows extensive debates that commenced during the special session, convened from April 16 to 18, 2026. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla indicated that discussions on these bills could span 15 to 18 hours, ensuring ample opportunity for all members to contribute to the deliberation.
Key Legislations Under Consideration
The three bills introduced on Thursday, after an Opposition demand for a division vote rather than a voice vote, are:
1. The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026
- This landmark bill serves as the constitutional mechanism to implement the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam'.
- It mandates a 33 percent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
- Currently, women constitute approximately 15 percent of the Lok Sabha's representation.
- The effective implementation of this reservation is strategically linked to future delimitation processes and census data, indicating a phased approach to structural reform in political representation.
2. The Delimitation Bill, 2026
- This legislation establishes the framework for a new delimitation exercise, a critical process of redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on updated population figures.
- India's last delimitation concluded in 2008, using the 2001 Census data, with the current freeze on seat distribution expected to continue until the first census after 2026.
- The bill is crucial as it will dictate how electoral seats are redistributed among states and play a direct role in how women's reservation is applied across constituencies.
3. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Designed to ensure consistency, this bill aims to harmonise the legal frameworks governing India's Union Territories with the proposed constitutional and electoral amendments.
- It will update provisions related to elections, seat allocation, and the composition of legislative bodies in UTs such as Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir, ensuring alignment with the new delimitation and reservation structures.
The motion to introduce these significant legislations was successfully passed with 251 members voting in favour and 185 against, out of a total of 333 votes cast. The special session underscores the government's focus on advancing these critical amendments aimed at enhancing democratic representation and electoral fairness.