The Central government on Thursday officially notified the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, bringing into force the long-awaited law that provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The notification, issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice in the official gazette, states that the law has come into effect from April 16, 2026.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the Central Government hereby appoints the 16th day of April, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force,” the notification reads. Although the legislation had received presidential assent in 2023, it has only now been operationalised.
However, despite the law coming into force, the reservation for women will not be implemented immediately. The Act makes it clear that the quota will take effect only after a fresh delimitation exercise is carried out, based on the first census conducted after the law’s enforcement. Until then, the composition of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies will remain unchanged.
The amendment—widely referred to as the Women’s Reservation law—provides one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It also includes a sub-quota for women belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), reserving one-third of the seats already earmarked for these communities.
With implementation tied to delimitation, the Union government has introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes a significant expansion of the Lok Sabha—from the current 550 seats to 850. Alongside this, the government has tabled the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, as part of a broader effort to overhaul the electoral framework and enable redrawing of constituencies based on updated population data.
All three Bills are currently under discussion in the Lok Sabha, triggering a sharp political debate. While Opposition parties have broadly supported the idea of women’s reservation, they have raised concerns over linking its implementation to delimitation. Several leaders, particularly from southern states, have objected to the proposed exercise, arguing that it could reduce their representation in Parliament due to relatively lower population growth.
The Opposition has also alleged that tying the women’s reservation law to delimitation may be a strategic move by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to increase seats in northern Hindi-speaking states, where it has stronger political influence, potentially altering the balance of electoral power.
