Women’s reservation law in India: what the 106th Constitutional Amendment provides
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 provides one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, with commencement tied to a later census and delimitation process.
The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023 provides for reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, including the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Its operation is linked to a census taken after the amendment’s commencement and a subsequent delimitation exercise, so enactment and implementation are not the same event.
What the amendment provides
The amendment inserts provisions for women’s reservation in elected legislatures. The one-third figure applies to the specified seats under the constitutional framework; it should not be casually described as an immediate change to every elected body in India.
The Act’s commencement and the delimitation condition matter when explaining timing. A bill being passed, an amendment being enacted and a reservation taking effect after the prescribed conditions are separate legal steps.
How to follow implementation accurately
Read the enacted constitutional text and any later official notifications rather than relying on a graphic that gives a date without explaining the conditions. Reports about political negotiations should identify whether they concern the text, a future census, delimitation or implementation.
This is a general civics explainer, not personalised legal advice. The linked legislative references are the appropriate starting points for the exact wording and any later amendments.
Editorial note
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Frequently asked questions
Did the 2023 amendment itself make the reservation operational immediately?
The constitutional text ties operation to a later census and delimitation process; enactment alone should not be described as immediate implementation.