The government’s decision, reported in the media, to convene additional sittings of Parliament to debate amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, is a welcome and significant step. It signals that a historic reform has now entered the difficult phase of implementation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi deserves full credit for accomplishing what had eluded Parliament for nearly three decades. The passage of the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, providing one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was a landmark step. For 26 years, the proposal remained stalled. Its enactment demonstrated political will.

But every reform must answer one question: How will it be implemented?

Current discussions suggest that the strength of the Lok Sabha may be increased from 543 to about 816 seats — an addition of 273 seats. If this entire block of additional seats is reserved for women, it would immediately ensure that one-third of the enlarged House is composed of women, without displacing existing members.

Yet one basic issue remains unaddressed: Where will women contest from?

New seats require constituencies. Constituencies can only be created through delimitation. And delimitation, by law, can only follow a Census. The next Census is expected after 2026. Even if everything moves quickly, the publication of data, the constitution of a Delimitation Commission, and the completion of its work will take several years. Past experience suggests that delimitation cannot be completed before 2032 or 2033.

This creates a simple difficulty. If constituencies do not exist, elections cannot be held. Without delimitation, there is no electoral map within which reservation can operate.

There is also another constitutional issue. The Constitution itself freezes the allocation of seats among states until........

© Indian Express