Women’s Quota May Roll Out by 2029 Without Delimitation
Govt weighs amendment to delink reservation from census process, consultations with Opposition underway
- Centre plans early rollout of 33% women’s reservation by 2029
- Amendment may bypass delimitation-linked delay
- Amit Shah holds talks with Opposition, NDA allies
- Cabinet likely to clear key bills on delimitation and quota
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 24th March: The Centre is exploring a major legislative move to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, potentially bypassing the long-pending delimitation process.
According to sources, the government is considering introducing a Constitutional Amendment Bill in the ongoing session to delink the implementation of the women’s reservation law from the census and delimitation exercise. The move is aimed at fast-tracking the rollout of the quota, which has remained on hold due to procedural conditions.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken the lead on consultations, holding meetings with leaders of several Opposition parties, including factions of the Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena, along with parties such as YSR Congress, AIMIM and BJD. He also briefed NDA allies on the proposed plan.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has convened a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders to chalk out a collective strategy. Senior Congress leader Manickam Tagore indicated that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has already held multiple rounds of discussions with Kharge on the issue.
Under the current legal framework, the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act is tied to the completion of the next census and subsequent delimitation of constituencies. However, with the census expected to conclude by March 2027 and delimitation likely to take several more years, the timeline risks pushing implementation beyond 2029.
To address this, the proposed amendment may allow the use of 2011 Census data as the basis for delimitation or enable reservation without waiting for the process altogether.
In parallel, the government is also preparing a second bill to set up a Delimitation Commission. Both proposals are expected to be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval soon.
The move comes amid long-standing criticism from Opposition parties, which had earlier opposed linking women’s reservation to delimitation, arguing that it would delay its implementation.
If cleared, the amendment could pave the way for the long-awaited political empowerment of women to finally take effect in the next general elections.
