India plans more seats for women in parliament, links it to delimitation'

"The Indian government is seeking to expedite the implementation of a 2023 law that reserves 33 percent of seats in parliament and state assemblies for women, but has linked the move to a sweeping redrawing of parliamentary constituencies, sharpening political tensions."

"While two of the three bills relate to extending the number of women in parliament and state assemblies, a third bill relates to delimitation, as the process to redraw parliamentary boundaries based on population is called in India."

"Several Asian countries, including India's neighbours like Nepal and Bangladesh, have similar quotas for women in national legislatures. India already mandates that one-third of seats be set aside for women in local governing bodies."

"While there appears to be broad bipartisan support for putting more women into parliament, opposition parties have raised concerns over changing the voting boundaries, warning it could tilt the political balance in favour of Modi's Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)."

The Indian government is advancing a 2023 law that reserves 33% of parliamentary and state assembly seats for women, contingent on redrawing constituencies based on the 2011 census. Prime Minister Modi announced this initiative during a special parliamentary session, introducing three bills, including one for delimitation. The overall size of parliament is proposed to increase from 543 to 850 seats. While there is bipartisan support for women's representation, opposition parties express concerns about potential political imbalances due to the changes in voting boundaries.

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