Bill to expand Lok Sabha to 850 seats to operationalise women’s quota

The government is set to introduce a series of bills in Parliament on Thursday to operationalise 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, with a proposal to expand the strength of the House to up to 850 members from the present 543.

The move will be taken up in the Parliament of India and involves a Constitution amendment to Article 81 of the Constitution of India, along with supporting legislation for delimitation and Union Territories.

According to the draft, the Lok Sabha may consist of up to 815 members elected from territorial constituencies in states , while up to 35 members may represent Union Territories, taking the total strength to a maximum of 850 seats .

The bill also proposes that delimitation of constituencies will be carried out using 2011 Census data , which remains the latest officially published population figures. The government said this is necessary as the next census and subsequent delimitation exercise will take considerable time, delaying implementation of women’s reservation.

The proposed legislation is aimed at ensuring one-third reservation for women, including those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes , in Parliament and state legislatures, as well as in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and Union Territories with legislatures such as Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.

The draft further states that the expression “population” will refer to the census figures officially published , which in this case are from 2011.

Officials said three bills will be brought together: a Constitution amendment bill , a delimitation law , and an enabling framework for Union Territories to fast-track implementation of the women’s reservation law passed in 2023 .

The statement of objects and reasons noted that waiting for a fresh census would delay effective participation of women in democratic institutions , hence the need to proceed with available data.