Centre proposes 850-seat Lok Sabha expansion with 33% women’s quota from 2029 elections.

Key facts

• The Centre circulated three bills on 16 April 2026: Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Delimitation Bill 2026, and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026.
• Article 81 amendment will expand Lok Sabha from 543 to around 816 seats with an upper cap of 850.
• The women’s reservation will create roughly 273 reserved seats, advancing implementation to the 2029 polls instead of 2034.
• A three-member delimitation commission led by a current or retired Supreme Court judge and including Election Commission of India (ECI) representation will redraw constituencies.
• The bills require a two-thirds majority in Parliament and ratification by at least 50% of states for passage.
• Reserved seats for women will be rotated across constituencies in every election cycle.
• The quota will apply to Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry, with ECI acting as delimitation authority for 24 vacant assembly segments in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
• The reservation will initially last 15 years unless extended by a future law.