Voting on three key bills related to amendments to the women’s reservation law and the establishment of a delimitation commission is set to take place in the Lok Sabha at 4 pm on Friday, April 17, as announced by Speaker Om Birla.
A day earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House that southern states would not lose representation once delimitation is carried out alongside the implementation of the women’s reservation law.
He stated that the total number of Lok Sabha seats in the five southern States is expected to increase from 129 to 195, with their overall share rising slightly from 23.76% to 23.87%. He is expected to deliver a detailed reply to the debate on these bills later today.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Reservation Act, originally passed in 2023 to provide 33% reservation for women in legislatures, officially came into force on April 16, 2026, following a notification by the Union Law Ministry.
However, the timing of this notification—amid ongoing parliamentary discussions to amend the law for implementation by 2029—has raised questions, as the reasons behind this move remain unclear.
11:56 am: On Women’s Reservation Bill, Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar says, “Hard to believe PM Modi and Amit Shah that southern states’ representation will not be reduced when the bill says the last published census will be the basis of delimitation.”
11:55 am: Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Women’s Reservation Bill, said, “What is the haste to hold a session while two big states are going for election in two weeks. Nothing is clear and transparent.”
11:48 am: Nominated member Harivansh Narayan Singh was elected unopposed as the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
11:41 am: On the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam notification, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the 2023 Bill was passed with Opposition support and mandates delimitation based on population, which could change seat distribution across states.
11:37 am: On Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (women’s reservation bill) Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav says, “It is difficult to understand BJP and the decisions taken by them… They were carrying out NRC under the garb of SIR… Now under the garb of women’s reservation, they are carrying out the exercise of delimitation to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats so that they never lose…”
11:33 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Harivansh on being elected Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha for third term.
11:26 am: TMC MP Kirti Azad on Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam notification, says, “The BJP was sleeping for three years. What else can be said about them. They don’t know what they are doing. The Women’s Reservation Bill passed in 2023 mentioned that there will census, delimitation and then seats will be divided on that basis. Now, without a delimitation commission, they are talking about number of seats. What kind of government is this? They won’t be able to get this bill passed. This is Constitution Amendment Bill not Women’s (Reservation) Bill.”
11:22 am: On Women’s Reservation Bill, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut (
@KanganaTeam) says, “Many congratulations to all women. There is strong enthusiasm among them. The Prime Minister has made the impossible possible by passing a bill that had been pending for 30 years. Women will now take on leadership roles and help shape the country’s future. With women’s development, India is moving towards overall human development.”
11: 20 am: The Opposition demanded clarity from the government on the notification of the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023. In the Lok Sabha, DMK MP Kanimozhi questioned its timing and alleged that, under the guise of women’s reservation, it undermines India’s federal structure.
