Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday opened the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the set of Bills related to women's reservation and delimitation, asserting that the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, will play a crucial role in ensuring gender equality.
Addressing the House, Meghwal invoked the vision of Dr B.R. Ambedkar to underline the importance of women's empowerment. "I assess a community's advancement by the level of progress made by women," he said, citing Ambedkar while advocating for the reservation of seats for women in legislative bodies.
He also referred to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's views on the issue, highlighting that the move had long been anticipated. "The allocation of 33 per cent of seats is certain to happen. It's simply a matter of time, Abdul Kalam indicated then, and that time has arrived now," Meghwal said, while commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for taking what he described as a "historic step".
Outlining key provisions, the minister stated that the number of Lok Sabha seats would see a significant increase. He said that the strength of the House would rise by 50 per cent, taking the total number of seats to 815, with 272 of them reserved for women, in line with the one-third quota.
"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. Earlier, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha that an extended discussion would be held on the three crucial Bills related to women's reservation and delimitation, with voting scheduled for Friday.