The Indian government is set to convene a special three-day session of Parliament from April 16 to 18, 2026, primarily to discuss and pass amendments aimed at expediting the rollout of the Women’s Reservation Act, officially known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023.
According to government sources and multiple reports, the session — which will see the ongoing Budget session go into recess rather than adjourning sine die on April 2 — will focus on constitutional and legal changes to enable the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies to take effect sooner than originally planned, potentially ahead of the 2029 general elections.
The 2023 Act, passed during a special session in September 2023 with overwhelming support (454 votes in favour in the Lok Sabha and unanimous passage in the Rajya Sabha), reserves one-third of seats for women. However, its implementation was originally linked to the completion of the next Census and a subsequent delimitation exercise, which had raised concerns among opposition parties about indefinite delays.
In a significant shift, the Centre is now considering amendments that would allow earlier implementation. Key proposals include expanding the Lok Sabha from its current strength of 543 seats to 816, with approximately 273 seats (one-third) reserved exclusively for women. This expansion approach aims to avoid disrupting existing male incumbents while accommodating the new quota.
The plan reportedly involves two key legislative measures:
– A Constitution Amendment Bill to tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
– An ordinary bill to amend the Delimitation Act, potentially using 2011 Census data for redrawing constituencies or freezing current state-wise seat shares while scaling up numbers proportionally.
