A day after the BJP-led NDA government’s Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure a majority in Parliament, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to implement women’s reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies, without waiting for delimitation or a fresh Census.
DMK MP P Wilson moved the Constitution Amendment Bill proposing that reservation for women be operational from the next election, within the existing strength of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.
The proposal also extends to State Legislative Assemblies, as well as the Assemblies of the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir, without requiring any increase in seats or boundary readjustments. The Bill seeks to make women’s reservation permanent, unlike the government's Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam of 2023, which limited reservation to 15 years.
A notice has also been submitted under Rule 267 of the Rajya Sabha Rules of Procedure, seeking suspension of the day’s business to facilitate a discussion on the issue. The notice calls for the immediate implementation of women’s reservation without linking it to delimitation or Census processes.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, India’s system of representation has historically been based on population, with delimitation exercises conducted after the 1951, 1961 and 1971 Censuses. However, disparities in population growth led to a freeze on seat reallocation through the 42nd Amendment in 1976, later extended until 2026 by the 84th Amendment in 2002, to ensure that States implementing population control measures were not disadvantaged.
The Bill argues that demographic convergence across States has not taken place, with continued variations in fertility rates and population growth. It contends that any reallocation of seats after 2026 would disproportionately benefit States with higher population growth while reducing representation for those that achieved population stabilisation. It also notes that the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposed linking delimitation to a future Census, was rejected by the Lok Sabha on April 17.
Further, the Bill states that increasing the strength of the House of the People would have significant financial implications for the public exchequer. It proposes that any future reallocation of seats should require ratification by two-thirds of State Legislative Assemblies to safeguard the federal structure.
On the women’s reservation, the Bill argues that linking the 2023 constitutional amendment to delimitation has effectively delayed its implementation. It states that reservation for women can be introduced immediately within the existing strength of legislatures, without waiting for delimitation or Census exercises and should be made a permanent feature of the Constitution, to take effect after the expiry of the current terms of the respective Houses.
However, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned indefinitely on Friday, April 17, and the Bill could not be taken up.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on April 17, following which the Union government withdrew the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The three-bill package had proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 and enabling women’s reservation by delinking it from delimitation tied to the upcoming 2027 Census.
In the Lok Sabha, 489 members voted on the Constitution Amendment Bill, with 278 in favour and 211 against. However, the proposal fell short of the required two-thirds majority of members present and voting, which in this case was at least 326 votes, resulting in its defeat.