NDA allies back proposed amendments to Nari Shakti Vandan Act: Sources

NDA allies, in a meeting chaired by Amit Shah, have backed proposed amendments to the women's reservation law. The changes could see 270 seats reserved for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, with the total number of seats rising to ~815.

The meeting of NDA parliamentary floor leaders, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, concluded at the Parliament House on Monday, with key allies expressing support for proposed amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act. The meeting began earlier in the day and saw the participation of several senior leaders from across the NDA. Union Ministers and leaders, including Kiren Rijiju, Upendra Kushwaha, Lallan Singh, Shrikant Shinde, Milind Deora, M. Thambidurai, Anupriya Patel, Praful Patel and Rajkumar Sangwan, along with several other NDA MPs, were present.

According to sources, detailed discussions were held with NDA allies on proposed amendments to the women's reservation law. All alliance partners are learnt to have backed the move to bring changes to the existing framework.

Proposed Framework and Implementation Details

Sources further indicated that a broad formula regarding the implementation of women's reservation was also deliberated upon. As per the proposed framework, the 2029 Lok Sabha elections could be conducted under the amended provisions. "The proposal suggests using the 2011 Census as the base, with the removal of the census-related clause from Clause 5, while retaining delimitation. The revised structure may see an increase in the total number of Lok Sabha seats to around 815 following delimitation."

Based on current figures, nearly 50 per cent of the existing 543 seats, approximately 272 seats-has been taken as a reference point. Under the proposed arrangement, around 270 seats could be reserved for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. Sources added that a similar formula is likely to be adopted for state legislative assemblies as well. The government is expected to take up the proposed amendments in the ongoing session of Parliament. (ANI)

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