ExplainedWomen's reservation
Women's reservation explained: the 33% law is in force, so when will women actually get the seats?
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam reserving a third of Lok Sabha and assembly seats for women came into force on April 16, 2026. A day later, the amendment meant to apply it in time for 2029 was defeated. What the law says, why it is not yet in effect, and what has to happen first.
The short answer
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and the Delhi assembly for women, including a third of the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. It came into force on April 16, 2026, but the reservation can begin only after the first census after that date and a fresh delimitation of constituencies. On April 17, 2026, the 131st Amendment Bill, which would have allowed delimitation on the 2011 census and an earlier start, won 298 votes to 230 in the Lok Sabha, short of the two-thirds needed. Census 2027 is now under way, so the quota depends on its results and the delimitation that follows.
India has a law reserving a third of its legislative seats for women. It is not yet being applied. The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, came into force on April 16, 2026. But the reservation itself can begin only after two things happen: a new census, and a fresh delimitation of constituencies based on it. An attempt to speed that up failed in the Lok Sabha the next day.
What does the law say?
One in three seats in the Lok Sabha, state assemblies and the Delhi assembly will be reserved for women. Within the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, one-third will also go to women from those communities. Reserved seats are to rotate, so that the same constituencies are not reserved every time, and the reservation is to last 15 years from when it takes effect, with Parliament able to extend it.
Parliament passed the law in September 2023.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
- 1/3of seats in the Lok Sabha and assemblies
- 1/3of SC and ST seats, within those quotas
- 15 yearsinitial duration, extendable
- Apr 16, 2026came into force
Why has it not started yet?
Because the Constitution ties it to the next census and delimitation. The amendment says the reservation will take effect only after the figures of the first census conducted after it comes into force are published and constituencies are redrawn on that basis. India’s last census was in 2011; the next, Census 2027, is under way now, with a reference date of March 1, 2027, for most of the country. Delimitation, the redrawing of constituency boundaries and the sharing of seats among states, can only follow the census results.
From law to seats
- Sep 2023Parliament passes the 106th Amendment.
- Apr 16, 2026The law comes into force.
- Apr 17, 2026Lok Sabha defeats the 131st Amendment, which would have used the 2011 census.
- Nov 2026 to Mar 2027Census 2027 population count across India.
- After the censusDelimitation of constituencies on the new figures.
- After delimitationWomen's reservation takes effect at the next elections.
What was the 131st Amendment, and why did it fail?
It was the government’s plan to start the reservation earlier, and it fell 54 votes short. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 would have expanded the Lok Sabha from 543 seats to as many as 850, allowed delimitation without waiting for a new census, using 2011 figures, and let the women’s quota take effect right after that delimitation, in time for the 2029 general election.
On April 17, 2026, it won 298 votes to 230. As a constitutional amendment it needed two-thirds of members present and voting, which was 352 of 528. With its defeat, the government withdrew the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and a related Union Territories bill.
What did the two sides say?
The government accused the opposition of blocking women; the opposition accused the government of a shortcut. Before the vote, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked MPs to rise above party lines.
Take a conscience vote.
In the name of women, an unconstitutional shortcut was attempted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah warned the opposition that “women of India will not forgive you”. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said linking women’s reservation to delimitation and an outdated census was “unacceptable”.
So when will women get the reserved seats?
Not before Census 2027’s results are out and delimitation is done. Commentators expect that to push the start beyond the 2029 general election, though there is no official timeline. The government could try again with a new amendment. In August 2026, the Akali Dal called for the women’s quota bill linked to delimitation to be passed immediately, after its president Sukhbir Badal met the Prime Minister.
Does it apply to the Rajya Sabha?
No. The law covers the directly elected Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi assembly. Seats in the Rajya Sabha and in state legislative councils are not reserved under it.