Women’s quota Bill still on table as Centre explores constitutional amendment before 2029 polls

New Delhi: Even as Parliament remains deadlocked, the Centre has for now kept open the possibility of bringing a fresh constitutional amendment Bill to operationalise women's reservation through delimitation. Senior Union ministers and officials have held meetings in recent days to review the proposed framework and the political roadmap for its passage, sources said.

The proposed bill is understood to be largely ready and builds on the earlier Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill while addressing concerns over delimitation. The draft is expected to preserve each state's existing share in the Lok Sabha's total strength and could be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval in the coming days, sources said.

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The move assumes significance as two other enabling legislations, the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, remain pending before the LS. The proposed amendment is expected to dovetail with the delimitation framework by making the expansion of the LS and state assemblies one of the guiding principles for the future delimitation commission.

Sources said the bill may include an indicative schedule specifying the existing and proposed strength of the LS and state assemblies for every state and Union Territory following the proposed expansion, while preserving their existing share in the overall composition of the Houses.

The draft is likely to seek amendments to Articles 55, 81, 82, 170, 330, 332 and 334A, and provide for a "uniform 50% increase, as far as practicable and feasible" in the strength of the LS and state assemblies. The women's quota would operate vertically, with one-third of the proposed 136 Scheduled Caste seats and 70 Scheduled Tribe seats also reserved for women.

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Sources said the revised framework seeks to preserve the possibility of implementing women's quota before the 2029 LS elections while addressing concerns, particularly from southern states, over any redistribution of parliamentary seats.

The bill would require a two-thirds majority in both Houses and ratification by at least half of the state legislatures. With the monsoon session ending on August 13, the government is unlikely to introduce the bill unless it is confident of securing the required numbers. However, sources said all legislative options remain open, including convening a separate session at a later stage.