By Shamsul Islam* Prime Minister Narendra Modi , presenting himself as the savior of Indian women while speaking in support of the Women’s Reservation Bill 2026 , declared that reserving seats for women in legislative bodies is the need of the hour to make Indian democracy more vibrant and participative. He lamented that it was “deeply unfortunate” that the bill had been delayed for decades. He added that despite repeated efforts by previous governments to give women their rightful place in democratic institutions, the bill was never passed. He underlined the fact that for women—who constitute nearly half of India’s population—“committees were made, and bill drafts were introduced, but they never saw the light of day.”
By Jag Jivan Dr. Narasimha Reddy Donthi , a noted public policy expert and public interest campaigner, in a detailed critical analysis of two Bills introduced in Parliament in April 2026—the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 , has warned that the twin bills "raise significant constitutional, political and methodological concerns — most critically, a structural inconsistency in the census basis used for Parliament versus State Assemblies, and an over-reliance on population as the sole parameter for delimitation."