Women's Reservation Act: Rijiju Urges Congress to Back Implementation, Political Row Deepens
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju wrote to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, urging him to support the implementation of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 — commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act or Nari Vandan Adhiniyam.
Rijiju argued that delay in operationalising the law denies justice to millions of women who are constitutionally entitled to 33% representation in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Kharge responded by questioning the government's "urgency" and demanding an all-party meeting after the ongoing round of state assembly elections (completing in April 2026).
Kharge alleged the government seeks to pass an important Constitutional Amendment — removing the current precondition of a fresh Census before delimitation — to derive political benefit ahead of upcoming Assembly elections.
The government is considering amending the Women's Reservation Act to use the 2011 Census data for delimitation rather than waiting for the new Census (which has been repeatedly delayed from its original 2021 schedule).
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023: Provisions and Passage
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, popularly known as the Nari Vandan Adhiniyam or Women's Reservation Act, is one of the most significant constitutional amendments in recent Indian legislative history. It provides for 33% reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Delhi Legislative Assembly.
The Rijiju-Kharge exchange centres on this implementation clause — whether the government can bypass the fresh Census requirement by using the 2011 Census for delimitation, thus fast-tracking operationalisation.
Delimitation: Concept, Constitutional Basis, and the Current Deadlock
Delimitation is the process of fixing the number of seats and drawing the boundaries of constituencies for Parliament and State Assemblies. In India, delimitation is conducted by a Delimitation Commission constituted under a Parliamentary Act, using the most recent Census data.
The political dispute is essentially about which Census to use for delimitation — a technically complex question with significant constitutional and political implications for the timing of women's reservation.
History of Women's Reservation in Indian Parliament
The demand for 33% reservation for women in Parliament has a long and contested legislative history stretching back to 1996, making the 2023 passage a historic breakthrough after nearly three decades of failed attempts.
The political deadlock over implementation reflects a pattern that has haunted this legislation for 30 years — cross-party consensus on the principle but persistent disagreement on operational details.
- Act: Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 / Nari Vandan Adhiniyam
- Reservation quantum: 33% of seats in Lok Sabha + State Assemblies + Delhi Assembly
- Duration: 15 years from the date the reservation comes into force
- Lok Sabha vote: 454 for, 2 against (September 20, 2023)
- Rajya Sabha vote: 214 for, 0 against (September 21, 2023)
- Presidential assent: September 28, 2023
- Implementation trigger: Fresh Census + delimitation based on that Census
- Proposed government amendment: Use 2011 Census data for delimitation instead
- Last delimitation: Based on 2001 Census
- Women's current share of Lok Sabha seats: ~14% (82 of 543)
- Women's Reservation Bill history: First introduced 1996; lapsed multiple times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2008); Rajya Sabha passed in 2010; finally enacted 2023
- Constitutional articles on delimitation: Articles 82 (Lok Sabha) and 170 (State Assemblies)