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Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has said that the women's quota instrumentality providing 33% reservation for women successful the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies “won't person to hold for long”, arsenic helium indicated that it would beryllium successful spot earlier the 2029 parliamentary polls.
In an exclusive interrogation with PTI connected Thursday (May 28, 2026), the instrumentality curate besides said that a batch of things volition hap earlier the adjacent Lok Sabha elections. “Therefore, we volition not fto the Nari Shakti Vandan hold for long. The state besides does not privation the Nari Shakti Vandan (women's preservation law) to hold for long,” helium asserted.
Mr. Meghwal was asked astir the aboriginal program of the authorities arsenic an amendment to the 2023 women’s quota law was defeated successful the Lok Sabha successful April.
The Constitution amendment measure sought to summation the fig of Lok Sabha seats from the contiguous 543 to a maximum of 850 earlier the adjacent parliamentary polls successful 2029. Mr. Meghwal besides clarified that the 2023 instrumentality was brought into unit connected April 16 arsenic it was indispensable due to the fact that an Act tin lone beryllium amended aft it comes into force.
He said “if the instrumentality is not successful force, what volition you amend?” To a poser connected demands for equitable practice for each States, from northbound to south, successful the Lok Sabha successful the delimitation exercise, the Union Minister said the authorities brought a delimitation measure on with a Constitution amendment truthful that the women’s quota instrumentality is implemented.
But the absorption gave its "fallacious reasoning" and the Constitution amendment measure could not beryllium passed successful the Lok Sabha connected April 17 arsenic the authorities lacked a two-thirds bulk successful the House. The government, Mr. Meghwal said, tried to person the absorption that delimitation was not imaginable successful 2026 and determination was a information that to instrumentality the quota law, census and past a delimitation workout were must.
On April 17, during an extended sitting of Parliament, the Constitution amendment measure to instrumentality preservation for women successful legislatures successful 2029 and summation the fig of seats successful the Lok Sabha was defeated successful the Lower House, with 298 members voting successful enactment of the bill, and 230 MPs voting against it. Out of the 528 members who voted, the measure required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the bill, Lok Sabha seats were to beryllium accrued to a maximum of 850 from the existent 543 to "operationalise" the women's preservation instrumentality earlier the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, pursuing a delimitation workout based connected the 2011 Census. Seats were besides to beryllium accrued successful States and Union Territory assemblies to accommodate 33% preservation for women.
A time aft the measure was defeated, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the federation successful which helium warned the Congress and its allies that the women of India volition “severely” punish them for "the misdeed of foeticide" aft they “killed” the measure connected women's quota. Mr. Modi besides apologised to women, and said the authorities whitethorn person mislaid the ballot but it volition ne'er springiness up its efforts to empower them.
"We whitethorn not person got the indispensable 66% votes for the transition of the measure yesterday, but we person got 100% blessings of 'Nari Shakti'," Mr. Modi said. He besides said the absorption parties "mercilessly crushed" the dreams of women by not allowing the measure to walk successful Parliament contempt the government's champion efforts.
