New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) More than 60 women’s outfits have petitioned members of Parliament to implement women’s reservation independent of delimitation and Census-linked provisions.
The petition, signed by more than 500 individuals, criticises the proposed Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, for “wrongly linking” women’s reservation to the Census and delimitation process.
It argues that the existing provision of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures, as enacted in 2023, can be implemented immediately without fresh population data.
“If the government is determined to link women’s reservation to population counts, it should provide 48-49 per cent reservation, reflecting women’s demographic share,” the petition said.
The signatories urged Parliament not to use the “Special Session” to shift focus to increasing seats or delimitation, stressing that such exercises are tied to population data and should only be undertaken after the ongoing Census is completed.
“This Special Session should not be used to distract attention from women’s reservation,” the petition says, adding, “What this Special Session can do is restore the focus on women.” The petitioners called for removing all references to Census and delimitation from the 2023 law as one of its key demands.
It also proposed amendments to ensure that reserved seats are distributed proportionally among states based on their existing share, and that states provide funding for the election campaigns of marginalised women, including those from OBC, LGBTQIA+, and denotified communities.
In addition, the petition urges the government to introduce a separate constitutional amendment in the upcoming Monsoon Session to extend 33 per cent reservation to the Rajya Sabha.
On delimitation, the groups cautioned against premature discussions, noting that any expansion of seats or redrawing of constituencies must follow the release of updated Census data. They also called for a thorough review of criteria and procedures, citing concerns over alleged gerrymandering in past exercises.
The petition has been endorsed by prominent figures from women’s rights and social justice movements, such as Beena Pallical, Nandita Gandhi, Radha Kumar, Aruna Roy, Shantha Sinha, Arundhati Dhuru, Kumudini Pati, Padma Singh, Shabnam Hashmi, Meera Shiva, Janaki Nair, and Nandini Sundar.
Among other signatories to the petition were Ruchika Sharma, Mridula Mukherjee, Lalita Ramdas, Asha Mishra, Syeda Hameed and Annie Raja.
The special three-day sitting of Parliament began on Thursday to consider a legislative package, including the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
The bill would be accompanied by the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026.
According to the bills, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to up to 850 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 general election, following a delimitation exercise to be carried out based on the last published census. PTI AO KSH VN VN
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