Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
"The 106th Constitutional Amendment Act reserving one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women"
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, formally the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, reserves one-third of all seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies (excluding the Legislative Councils) for women. It was passed by Parliament on 21 September 2023 during a special session held in the new Parliament building. The reservation will come into effect only after a delimitation exercise based on the first Census conducted after the Act's commencement, and will remain in force for 15 years from the date of commencement, with provision for Parliament to extend it further.
This is a landmark piece of legislation for UPSC — it connects constitutional amendment procedure (Article 368), women's political empowerment (GS-1 social issues), and the delimitation debate (GS-2 polity). The Act's implementation is tied to the 2026 delimitation exercise, making it directly relevant to the proposed expansion of Lok Sabha to 816 seats with 273 seats reserved for women.
- 1 Passed as 106th Constitutional Amendment Act on 28 September 2023
- 2 Inserts new Articles 330A and 332A in the Constitution
- 3 Reserves one-third seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for women
- 4 Sub-reservation within SC/ST reserved seats for women from those categories
- 5 Implementation contingent on delimitation after the next Census
- 6 Rotation of reserved seats after every delimitation
- 7 Valid for 15 years, extendable by Parliament
Under the 2026 Lok Sabha expansion proposal, 273 of the 816 seats (one-third) would be reserved for women under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.