Centre Seeks Regional Parties’ Support For Women’s Reservation, Delimitation Bills Amid Supreme Court Notice

The Centre is reaching out to regional and smaller parties to build consensus on legislation linked to women’s reservation and delimitation, even as the Supreme Court has sought its response on a plea challenging the delay in implementing the Women’s Reservation Act before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The developments come amid political negotiations over constitutional amendments and parliamentary proceedings involving other contentious bills. The government is looking to secure backing from regional parties for the women’s reservation law and the delimitation bill, while the Supreme Court is examining whether the quota can be implemented without waiting for a fresh census and delimitation.

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response on a public interest litigation seeking enforcement of the Women’s Reservation Act before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, without waiting for a new census and delimitation.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notice on the petition filed by Yogamaya MG. The plea argues that the Constitution (128th Amendment) Act, 2023, remains inoperative as its implementation is linked to the first census after its enactment and the delimitation exercise that follows.

According to The New Indian Express, the petitioner has urged the court to direct the government to implement reservation using 2001 or 2011 census data instead of waiting for a new census and delimitation.

The petitioner has argued that deferring implementation indefinitely would deprive women of representation even in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The plea was filed after Parliament rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The petition comes as the Centre is attempting to gather political support for legislation linked to women’s reservation and delimitation.

A meeting of the Joint Committee on the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, scheduled for Monday, was cancelled ahead of the expected adoption of its report, The Indian Express reported.

The meeting was expected to adopt the committee’s report. It came a day after the Joint Committee of Parliament deferred adoption of the report on the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, which seeks the removal of ministers arrested for serious offences for 30 consecutive days.

Sources cited by The Indian Express said the proposed legislation on both contentious bills had been deferred to ensure support from regional and smaller parties for pushing the rollout of the women’s reservation law and the delimitation bill.

The Centre is seeking support from regional parties as it looks to move ahead with the proposed constitutional amendments. The issue of delimitation has also led to concerns among several regional parties over the possible impact of changes in the distribution of parliamentary seats.

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has expressed confidence that the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill will be passed during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

According to PTI, Athawale said the constitutional amendment bills were defeated in the previous Parliament session with opposition from the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress.

“Now the NDA has a clear majority,” he told reporters, adding that in the upcoming session, the Women’s Reservation Bill will come up and women will get reservation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

"Delimitation is done every 30–35 years. Delimitation is also necessary," he said.

The veteran politician from Maharashtra, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), a BJP ally, said the bills are expected to be passed after changes in political equations, including some members of the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) supporting the NDA and the DMK parting ways with the Congress.

"We have a two-thirds majority. Women's Reservation Bill and Delimitation Bill will be passed," he said.

According to PTI, Athawale also appealed to the Congress and other parties to extend their support to the passage of the bills.

The remarks came after the Constitution amendment bill seeking to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha was defeated during an extended sitting of Parliament on April 17.

PTI reported that 298 members voted in support of the bill, while 230 MPs voted against it. Out of the 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.

The Supreme Court’s notice and the delays in parliamentary committee proceedings have brought the implementation of women’s reservation and the proposed delimitation exercise back into focus ahead of the Monsoon Session.