Govt eyes 2029 polls for Women's Reservation Act using 2011 Census

The Indian government is actively considering a plan to implement the Women's Reservation Act by leveraging the 2011 Census data, a move that could significantly alter the parliamentary landscape. Sources indicate that this approach aims to expedite the Act's rollout and bypass the current delimitation process, which is contingent upon the delayed nationwide census. If successful, this initiative could see the total number of Lok Sabha seats increase from the existing 543 to 816, with a substantial 273 seats earmarked for women, fulfilling the mandated 33% reservation. The Women's Reservation Act, officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, was passed in September 2023. However, its implementation is linked to a delimitation exercise that will be conducted after the next census. The 2021 Census has been significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, pushing the delimitation process and, consequently, the implementation of the women's reservation beyond the anticipated timeline, potentially beyond 2030.. To circumvent this delay, the government is exploring amendments to the Act. The core of the proposed amendments involves delinking the reservation from the upcoming census and delimitation process and instead basing the delimitation exercise on the 2011 Census data.. This strategy is intended to ensure that the women's reservation can be implemented in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, or possibly even sooner.. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been leading the efforts to build consensus on this matter, engaging in discussions with leaders of various opposition parties, including the NCP (SP), YSRCP, AIMIM, Shiv Sena (UBT), BJD, and Samajwadi Party, as well as NDA allies.. However, consensus has remained elusive, with some parties, like the Trinamool Congress and Left parties, reportedly skipping meetings.. The opposition has previously raised concerns about the indeterminate timeline for the Act's implementation and demanded a more immediate rollout.. The proposed amendments would likely require introducing two bills: one to amend the Women's Reservation Act and another related to the Delimitation Act. These would necessitate a constitutional amendment, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament, making opposition support crucial.. In addition to increasing the total number of seats, the proposed delimitation based on the 2011 Census would also aim to maintain the proportional representation of each state in the Lok Sabha, addressing concerns raised by southern states about potential loss of representation due to successful population control measures.. The increased strength of Lok Sabha is also expected to lead to a proportional increase in seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), with one-third of these also being reserved for women.. The government is reportedly keen to table the amendment bills in the ongoing budget session of Parliament, which is set to conclude on April 2. Failing passage during this session, a special session of Parliament might be convened to address the issue.. The move is seen as a significant step towards enhancing women's political participation and fulfilling Prime Minister Modi's agenda of women's empowerment.. The next nationwide census is scheduled to begin in phases, with the house listing and housing census from April to September 2026 and population enumeration in February 2027.. However, the government's proposal to use the 2011 Census data for delimitation aims to bypass the timeline of this upcoming census and expedite the implementation of the Women's Reservation Act..

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