Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that the time has come to implement the historic decision on women’s reservation, as he began discussion on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territory Laws Amendment Bill.
Earlier, Meghwal moved a motion to suspend the provision of Rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure on the motion to pass the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territory Laws Amendment Bill, as these Bills are dependent on the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026. The motion was passed after voting in the House, with 251 members voting in favor and 185 members voting against, as announced by the Speaker.
The motion states that this House suspend the proviso to rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Lok Sabha in relation to the motions for considering and passing the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, as they are dependent on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Speaking during the session, Meghwal said that the discussion was being organized to ensure proper participation of women in legislative bodies.
He further said that although economic, social and political justice has been mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution, yet the previous governments have not made adequate efforts in this direction.
He said, “This discussion is being held to ensure that women get due participation… the time has come to implement this historic decision.”
Citing constitutional provisions, Meghwal said that Article 368 (2) gives the Parliament the right to amend the Constitution as per requirement in public interest.
He said that the Nari Shakti Vandan Act passed in 2023 had linked the implementation of women’s reservation to the census and delimitation after 2026, which would have delayed its implementation, due to which the government had to bring the present bill.
He further said that the number of Lok Sabha members will be uniformly increased by 50 per cent, taking the total seats to 815, of which 272 seats will be reserved for women, which is one-third of the total strength of the House. He also assured that the existing representation of any state will not be reduced.
Meghwal B.R. Quoting Ambedkar, he further said, “The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, will ensure equality for women. I measure the progress of a community by the amount of progress achieved by women.”
Furthermore, praising the leadership of Narendra Modi, Meghwal described the move as a “historic step” towards ensuring greater representation for women in Parliament.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 were introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 by Home Minister Amit Shah.
The government has called a special session of Parliament on April 16, 17 and 18 to pass amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act.
