The Union Cabinet has cleared important changes to speed up the rollout of the women’s reservation law, which promises 33% seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies. The move is seen as an effort to avoid long delays in implementing the reform.
The law, passed in 2023, had linked its rollout to a fresh Census and delimitation exercise, which could have pushed implementation to the next decade. To address this, the government now plans to use data from the 2011 Census instead, allowing the process to move forward faster.
If approved by Parliament, this change could make it possible to introduce the quota by the 2029 general elections. The plan is expected to significantly increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, with a large share reserved for women.
The reservation will also apply within Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories, ensuring that women from different communities are represented.
To make this happen, the Cabinet has cleared a set of draft bills, including a constitutional amendment and laws related to delimitation and Union Territories with legislatures. These will likely be introduced in an upcoming special session of Parliament.
The decision marks a strong push by the government to turn a long-standing promise into reality. For years, women’s representation in Indian politics has remained relatively low, despite repeated discussions on reform.
By trying to speed up the process, the government aims to bring more women into leadership roles and make the political system more inclusive.
If the proposed changes are passed, they could reshape India’s political landscape by giving women a much larger voice in lawmaking and governance in the coming years.
