PM Modi urges Parliament to pass changes for women’s quota before 2029 polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the time has come to implement the Women’s Reservation Act in its true spirit, stating that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections should be conducted with the quota for women in place.

In a letter to the floor leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, ahead of the three-day special sittings of Parliament, Modi asked all members to come together in one voice to pass amendments to the women’s reservation law, officially known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

“After extensive deliberations, we have reached the conclusion that the time has now come to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in its true spirit across the country.

“It is imperative that the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are conducted with women’s reservation in place,” the Prime Minister said in his letter dated April 11.

The Budget Session of Parliament has been extended, and a special three-day sitting of the House has been convened from April 16 to 18.

The Women’s Reservation Act will ensure an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, of which 273 will be reserved for women.

The provision to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was brought by amending the Constitution in 2023.

However, the women’s quota would have come into effect only after the completion of the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2027 Census. This meant the reservation would not have become enforceable before 2034 if the present law remains as is.

To implement it from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, changes are needed in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam; hence, the government is holding a special session to pass the amendments to the law.