Women's Reservation Act, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• The government is considering increasing Lok Sabha seats to 816 from 543 to implement the Women's Reservation Act, 2023, which mandates 33% reservation for women.
• This proposal involves delimitation based on the 2011 Census, potentially reserving 273 seats for women.
• Constitutional amendments in 1976 and 2001 froze delimitation until the first census after 2026.
• The government's plan may face legal challenges related to Article 81 and the principle of "one person, one vote, one value".

Detailed Insights:

• The Women's Reservation Act aims to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.
• Article 81 of the Constitution mandates that the ratio of seats to population be the same for all states, adhering to the "one person, one vote, one value" principle.
• Implementing the seat increase requires either extending the delimitation freeze or passing a new Delimitation Act by Parliament.
• Amending Article 81 to bypass the "one person, one vote, one value" principle could face legal challenges based on violating the right to equality.
• Increasing the number of seats also requires amending Article 81 (1) (a), which currently limits the Lok Sabha strength to 550.
• The Election Commission has stated that the present constituencies will remain in operation until the first census after 2026.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation: The process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies.
• Article 81: Constitutional provision outlining the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to states.
• One person, one vote, one value: The principle that each citizen's vote should have equal weight.