Voting on the three bills in Lok Sabha to amend the women’s quota law and set up a delimitation commission will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday (April 17, 2026), according to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Also Read : Delimitation: Perspectives and viewpoints
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday (April 16, 2026) assured the Lok Sabha that the representation of southern States in the House will not go down if the women’s reservation law is implemented with increased strength of the House post 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 percentage share increasing from 23.76 % to 23.87%. Mr. Shah is scheduled to give a formal reply on the debate on the three bills today.
Read more: How delimitation based on 2011 Census will redraw India’s political map
The Women’s Reservation Act 2023, which gave 33% quota to women in legislatures, came into force on Thursday (April 16, 2026), according to a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. It is, however, not immediately known why the 2023 act was notified with effect from April 16, 2026, in the midst of the debate in Parliament to amend the same law for its implementation in 2029.
