50 pc rise in LS seats, quota within quota key features of women’s quota bill​

New Delhi, April 16 A 50 per cent increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats, vertical reservation for SC/ST women, and quota within quota are among the key features the government sources highlighted on Thursday, even as MPs in the lower house discussed the women’s reservation bill and related bills.​

Sources said the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu will increase to 59 from 39 once bills on women's reservation and delimitation are passed by Parliament.​

They hit out at the ruling DMK in the southern state for misleading people on the crucial proposed legislation and warned that the party will face consequences for “attempting a political stunt”.​

“If the bill passes, seats in UP will go up to 120, Tamil Nadu to 59, Bengal to 63, Kerala to 30, Gujarat to 39 and so on,” said a government source.​

The constituencies, expected to increase in number after the proposed delimitation, will be demarcated on the basis of Census 2011, not Census 2027 as proposed earlier, sources said, calling it a plan to hasten the implementation of the quota before the 2029 parliamentary elections.​

Similarly, the Assembly constituencies will also be demarcated according to the 2011 census. The number of Assembly constituencies will also increase by 50 per cent, and may reach 6,186 from the existing 4,123 seats, said sources.​

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the related two proposed legislations aim to amend seven items.​

Some of the key amendments may touch upon articles 55, 81, 82, 170, 332, and 334 (A) of the Constitution, sources said.​

Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that Lok Sabha seats of all states will be increased by 50 per cent as part of the exercise to implement the women’s quota and the related delimitation.​

"The Women's Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, providing for the implementation of its provisions based on the census after 2026 and delimitation. There will be a 50 per cent increase in the strength of Lok Sabha members, translating to 815 seats, of which 272 will be reserved for women, which comes to one-third of the strength of the House. There will be no loss to male MPs or any state, and they will retain their strength," he added.​

Later, taking part in the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Women Reservation Bill will help change the “disha and dasha” (direction and condition) of the country’s politics by involving half of the population of the nation in decision-making.​

--IANS

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