Chhattisgarh Assembly Passes Resolution Demanding Women's Reservation in Legislatures
The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly passed a resolution in a special one-day session demanding the immediate implementation of one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies following the completion of the ongoing delimitation exercise.
The resolution was adopted after a debate lasting over nine hours, with the treasury bench voting in favour and the opposition Congress boycotting the proceedings.
The resolution calls for enforcement of the women's quota as soon as delimitation — the redrawing of constituency boundaries — is completed, aligning with the trigger mechanism built into the 106th Constitutional Amendment.
Madhya Pradesh had passed a similar resolution the previous week, indicating a pattern of state-level political pressure to expedite the amendment's implementation.
The Chhattisgarh government has been observing 2026 as "Mahtari Gaurav Varsh," running schemes providing monthly financial assistance to approximately 69 lakh women under the Mahtari Vandan initiative.
106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam)
The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 — popularly called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — is the legislative landmark that enshrined one-third reservation for women in elected legislatures. It was introduced in Lok Sabha on 19 September 2023 during a special session of Parliament and passed with near-unanimous support: 454 votes in favour and 2 against in Lok Sabha, and 214 votes in favour with none against in Rajya Sabha.
The Chhattisgarh resolution directly pushes for operationalising this amendment. Because the Act ties implementation to a post-census delimitation, and the 2027 Census is currently underway, state assemblies are signalling urgency to Parliament and the Election Commission.
Delimitation: The Prerequisite for Women's Reservation
Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on updated population data from the Census. The Delimitation Commission Act, 2002 governs the process. The 106th Amendment explicitly conditions the commencement of women's reservation on the completion of delimitation following the first Census conducted after the Act's commencement.
The resolution reflects state-level awareness that the Census 2027 → delimitation → reservation pipeline must move swiftly. States urging implementation are signalling to Parliament to expedite the delimitation process once Census 2027 concludes.
Women's Political Representation in India: The Gap
India's record on women's representation in Parliament remains well below global and SAARC averages despite decades of advocacy. The 106th Amendment is intended to structurally correct this under-representation through a constitutional guarantee rather than relying on political party discretion.
Chhattisgarh's resolution is part of a broader political consensus that the structural gap in legislative representation must be corrected urgently — particularly as delimitation, Census, and the 15-year sunset clause create a narrow policy window.
- Amendment number: 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023
- Popular name: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
- Articles inserted: 330A, 332A, 334A; Article 239AA amended
- Quantum of reservation: One-third (approximately 33%) of directly elected seats
- Trigger for implementation: Completion of first Census + Delimitation after the Act's commencement
- Duration: 15 years from commencement, extendable by Parliament
- Lok Sabha vote: 454 in favour, 2 against
- Rajya Sabha vote: 214 in favour, none against; passed on 21 September 2023
- Current women's share in Lok Sabha: ~15% (2024 elections)
- Panchayati Raj precedent: 33–50% women's reservation under Articles 243D and 243T (73rd and 74th Amendments, 1992)
- Delimitation legal basis: Article 82 of the Constitution; Delimitation Commission Act, 2002
- Chhattisgarh state significance: 2026 declared "Mahtari Gaurav Varsh"; Mahtari Vandan scheme covers ~69 lakh women