Explained: Why critics say India’s Delimitation and Lok Sabha Expansion Bills are using women’s reservation as a cover
Women’s reservation is the headline. But behind the special session’s centrepiece, lies a sweeping restructuring of electoral boundaries and parliamentary seats that could redraw India’s political map – and who gets to draw it.
Tanishka Shah
15 April 2026
PARLIAMENT IS SET TO CONVENE for a three-day special session beginning April 16 to consider proposals to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 members and to remove the requirement that delimitation be based on post-2026 census data, thereby permitting the use of existing figures.
Three Bills have been circulated among the MPs: The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Delimitation Bill, 2026, and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The latter two are ordinary legislations requiring only a simple majority, whereas the constitutional amendment demands a higher threshold for passage.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a three-line whip to its MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, mandating their presence from April 16 to 18 and making attendance compulsory, with no leave permitted during this period. Prime Minister Modi has written op-eds and made appeals to political parties to support the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and changes to be adopted in the special session and warning that further delay would amount to an injustice to women. While women’s reservation remains the public-facing centrepiece, critics argue that the substantive changes introduced by the Bill lie in the restructuring of delimitation and the redistribution of seats.
A key feature of the constitutional amendment is the expansion of the Lok Sabha from its current strength to a maximum of 850 members, with 815 seats allocated to states and 35 to Union Territories.
What are the proposed changes?
These three interconnected bills propose a major overhaul of India’s electoral and constitutional framework to expand the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and end decades-long freezes on constituency readjustment.
Expansion of parliamentary representation
A key feature of the constitutional amendment is the expansion of the Lok Sabha from its current strength to a maximum of 850 members, with 815 seats allocated to states and 35 to Union Territories. This increase is justified on the grounds of demographic change, including population growth and rapid urbanisation, as well as the need to accommodate one-third reservation for women without reducing existing constituencies.
In parallel, the Union Territories framework is also restructured with Legislative assemblies in Union Territories being assigned minimum seat thresholds, including 114 seats for Jammu and Kashmir, where 24 seats remain vacant due to territories under Pakistan’s administration.
Reconfiguration of delimitation
The proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026 establishes a new Delimitation Commission comprising a current or former Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner, and State Election Commissioners. The Commission is tasked with readjusting seat allocations in both Parliament and State Assemblies based on the latest available census data and redrawing constituency boundaries accordingly.
The Commission is vested with powers equivalent to that of a civil court, including the ability to summon data and witnesses. Importantly, its decisions are final and not subject to judicial review, marking a significant consolidation of authority in determining electoral boundaries.