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The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women, effective after the next census and delimitation.
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, reserves one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha, in the State Legislative Assemblies and in the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women. It was passed during a special session of Parliament in September 2023 with near-unanimous support in both Houses and received presidential assent on 28 September 2023. Its most distinctive feature is that it is on the statute book but not yet in operation: the reservation takes effect only after a delimitation exercise carried out on the basis of the first census conducted after the amendment's commencement. The reservation does not extend to the Rajya Sabha or to State Legislative Councils.
Type: LawOne-third reservation — for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Legislative Assembly
Sub-reservation — within the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, one-third are reserved for women of those communities
Deferred commencement — the reservation operates only after delimitation is carried out on the basis of the first census taken after the amendment came into force
Duration — the reservation is to last fifteen years, and Parliament may extend it by law
Rotation — reserved seats are to be rotated after each subsequent delimitation exercise
Not applicable to the Upper Houses — the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils are outside its scope
Frequency: A high-probability topic in UPSC Prelims and Mains and in general awareness papers since 2023
Women's reservation in legislatures was proposed repeatedly for nearly three decades before it succeeded. A Bill was first introduced in 1996 and lapsed; further attempts in the following years met the same fate, largely over the demand for a sub-quota for Other Backward Classes within the women's quota. The Rajya Sabha passed a version in 2010, but it was never taken up by the Lok Sabha and lapsed with the dissolution of that House. The 2023 amendment succeeded where those attempts failed, but it carried forward the same unresolved question of an OBC sub-quota, and added a new one by tying its own commencement to a census and delimitation that had not yet taken place.
The 73rd and 74th Amendments reserve one-third of seats for women in panchayats and municipalities
The first Women's Reservation Bill is introduced in Parliament and lapses
The Rajya Sabha passes a Women's Reservation Bill, but it is not taken up by the Lok Sabha and lapses
Parliament passes the Constitution (106th Amendment) Bill in a special session with near-unanimous support
The amendment receives presidential assent
The amendment addresses a persistent gap: women form roughly half the electorate but a much smaller share of legislators, and the local-body reservation introduced in 1993 did not translate upward to Parliament or the state Assemblies. Its design, however, is what makes it contentious. By tying commencement to a delimitation based on a future census, Parliament created a reservation whose start date depends on two administrative exercises with no fixed timetable, which is why observers doubt it can apply to the 2029 general election. The absence of an OBC sub-quota is the second line of criticism, from those who argue that without it the benefit will accrue disproportionately to women from already advantaged groups. A useful counterpoint for a balanced answer is the panchayat experience: reservation there demonstrably increased women's presence and shifted spending priorities, but also produced the phenomenon of proxy representation, which suggests that quota design matters as much as the quota itself.
Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
Presidential assent on 28 September 2023
One-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly
Articles 330A, 332A and 334A inserted; Article 239AA amended
Sub-reservation for SC and ST women within SC and ST reserved seats
Takes effect only after delimitation based on the first census after commencement
To last fifteen years, extendable by Parliament; seats rotate after each delimitation
Does not apply to the Rajya Sabha or State Legislative Councils; no OBC sub-quota
No. The amendment has been enacted, but the reservation operates only after a delimitation exercise based on the first census conducted after the amendment came into force.
No. It applies to the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of the NCT of Delhi. The Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils are excluded.
No. Sub-reservation is provided only for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women within seats already reserved for those categories. The absence of an OBC sub-quota is a principal criticism of the amendment.
Fifteen years from its commencement, and Parliament may extend it by law. Reserved seats are to be rotated after each subsequent delimitation.
Article 330A. Article 332A covers State Legislative Assemblies and Article 334A governs the commencement and duration of the reservation.
The amendment that gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj, adding Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects.
The law governing the actual conduct of elections in India, including qualifications, disqualifications, corrupt practices and election disputes.