The government is set to introduce an amendment to the Women's Empowerment Act in Parliament this week, removing the census and delimitation precondition that has blocked implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies — paving the way for the quota to take effect from the 2029 general elections.

The original Women's Empowerment Act, passed by both Houses of Parliament, had linked reservation implementation to the completion of a fresh census and delimitation exercise — effectively deferring it indefinitely. The proposed amendment will decouple reservation from this condition by using the 2011 census as the basis for delimitation instead. Under the revised framework, the number of Lok Sabha seats will increase from 543 to 816, with 273 seats — exactly one-third — reserved for women. Constitutional amendments are also being prepared in parallel to give the changes legal backing.

The move comes amid pressure from the Supreme Court, which had asked the Centre when the 33 per cent women's reservation would actually be implemented — reflecting growing impatience over the gap between the law's passage and its operationalisation.

Home Minister Amit Shah has begun outreach to opposition parties ahead of the bill's introduction, holding initial discussions with leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). Talks with major opposition parties including the Congress are yet to take place, with the government signalling a desire for broad consensus before the amendment is tabled.