Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: After notifying April 16, 2026, as the date from which the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 — providing one-third seats in the House of the People and legislative assemblies of all states and UT of Delhi to be reserved for women — shall come into effect, the govt Friday notified April 17, 2026, as the date from which women’s quota provisions in relevant laws for UTs of J&K and Puducherry, also enacted in 2023, will come into force.The MHA issued a gazette notification for the purpose.Parliament had enacted the 2023 Constitution amendment Act to pave the way for women’s reservation in the House of the People, legislative assembly of every state and legislative assembly of Delhi.Similar provisions for reservation for women in legislative assemblies of Puducherry and J&K were made via the Govt of Union Territories (Amendment) Act, 2023, and J&K Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Act, respectively.On Friday, however, the three bills aimed at rollout of women’s reservation in Lok Sabha and state legislatures —Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, Delimitation Bill, 2026, and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — from 2029 were defeated in the Lok Sabha.The 2023 Constitution amendment Act and related amendments for J&K and Puducherry provide that women’s reservation will become operative after the first delimitation based on the relevant census following the Acts’ commencement. The relevant exercise would be Census 2027, scheduled from April 1, 2026, to March 1, 2027.
