THE REPORTED DECISION to summon Parliament from April 16 to 18, 2026, has sparked intense debate on the manner of implementation of a historic and three-decade-old bipartisan demand for women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies to promote diversity and inclusivity in representative democracy. However, this bipartisan policy reservation of one-third seats for women in Parliament, formalised by the Constitution (Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 under Article 330A, is linked to the extremely controversial delimitation exercise under Article 334A of the Constitution of India.
This linking of women’s reservation demand to the delimitation exercise has sparked concerns about the possible changes to the size of the Lok Sabha and allocation of seats among States. A shifting of power dynamics between northern States and southern and eastern States if the number of seats increases from 543 to 816 has been a matter of serious federal concern. South Indians especially feel penalized for slower population growth in the states. A clear understanding of the constitutional position is necessary to clear the fog around historic bipartisan steps taken by the Parliament for the reservations for women.
