Women's reservation in Lok Sabha requires delimitation before 2029

The 33% women's reservation for Lok Sabha cannot take effect before delimitation, and a proposed amendment to enable it failed, leaving its implementation by 2029 uncertain. The 2023 Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam ties the quota to a census-based delimitation exercise. The government's April 2026 bill sought to use 2011 Census and raise Lok Sabha seats to 850, but it lost by lacking the required two-thirds majority. Congress says the quota should apply within the current 543-seat Lok Sabha and favours 2011 census-based delimitation. The issue also affects constituency boundaries and state representation.