Mumbai, April 8 Union Minister Ramdas Athawale described the proposed bill to amend the law on women's reservation as "historic," saying it would significantly enhance political representation for women across the country.
Responding to a query, he said that following the delimitation exercise, around 273 additional seats may be added to the Lok Sabha, increasing the total to about 816. Nearly one-third of these seats would be reserved for women, he added.
"Within this quota, reservation would also be extended to women belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories," Athawale added.
He said a special session of Parliament is likely to be held from April 16 to 18, during which the (amended) women's reservation bill may be taken up for passage.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, more popularly known as the Women's Reservation Act, was passed by Parliament in 2023. Under the law, 33 per cent reservation will be given to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The law, brought by amending the Constitution, will come into effect after completion of the delimitation exercise.
Athawale said the law is expected to come into force from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, and would subsequently be implemented in state assembly elections, including in states such as Maharashtra and others going to the polls thereafter.
Terming the move "revolutionary", he said it would ensure justice for women and substantially increase their participation in governance.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for initiating the measure.
The minister further said that after necessary amendments, a final decision on the extent of reservation would be taken soon, and a substantial number of seats are likely to be reserved for women, calling it a major step towards women's empowerment.