Kumar Bahukhandi
BJP national president Nitin Nabin discussed a wide-ranging public outreach programme with State unit presidents and national office-bearers in New Delhi on Friday April10, 2026 . File | Photo Credit: PTI
Campaign is to begin from Saturday (April 11, 2026) and will include at least 50 town hall events, with the biggest to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Ahead of the three-day extended session of Parliament to consider proposed amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, also known as the Women’s Reservation Act 2023, BJP national president Nitin Nabin discussed a wide-ranging public outreach programme on the issue with State unit presidents and national office-bearers in New Delhi on Friday April 10, 2026.
The government has extended the Budget session, with a special sitting from April 16 to 18. The BJP’s outreach campaign is to begin from Saturday and will include at least 50 town hall events, with the biggest to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Apart from town hall meetings, where women achievers from all walks of life are to be featured, Nari Shakti padyataras and press conferences on the amendments will also be held. The aim is to build wide support for the amendments that seek to implement 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Modi, is learnt to have cleared the draft amendment Bill on Wednesday April 8, 2026.
The provision for 33% reservation was brought through a constitutional amendment in 2023, but its implementation was contingent on the completion of delimitation based on the 2027 Census. Therefore, it was expected to come into force only in 2034 under the present law.
According to the proposed amendments, the number of Lok Sabha seats would be increased from 543 to 816, with 273 seats reserved for women. Reservation will also be done on a “vertical basis”, with seats allocated for SCs and STs.
Instead of waiting for the census 2027, the redrawing of constituencies will be done based on the 2011 census. A similar exercise will be carried out for State Assemblies, where seats will be reserved on a pro-rata basis.
While a Constitution amendment Bill will modify the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, another ordinary bill will amend the Delimitation Act.
Once passed by Parliament, the proposed laws will come into force by March 31, 2029, enabling reservation in the next Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh.
