Parliament & State Legislatures

Women's representation in India's Lok Sabha and state assemblies has rarely crossed half of the 33% mark, with the current share in Lok Sabha at around 14.4% and even lower in most Vidhan Sabhas. Despite the passage of the Women's Reservation Act in 2023 providing one-third quota, the reservation is not yet operational because it is linked to the delimitation exercise after the next Census. This article explains the constitutional framework for women's representation, current data, the 2023 Act provisions, the technical role of delimitation, global comparison and all basic concepts from the UPSC point of view.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 failed to pass in the Lok Sabha because it did not receive the special majority required under Article 368 of the Constitution. The bill sought to enable fresh delimitation, increase Lok Sabha strength to 850 seats and operationalise one-third women’s reservation. This article explains the constitutional amendment procedure, special majority requirement, technical provisions of the bill, delimitation framework and all basic constitutional concepts behind why such a bill can fail in Parliament.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has announced that starting next year, all proceedings in both Houses of Parliament, along with related official paperwork, will be translated into India's 22 scheduled languages using Artificial Intelligence. This step aims to make parliamentary work more accessible to people across the country, marking the first time such full translations will be available to the public. The announcement was made during a press conference ahead of a major international speakers' meeting, highlighting efforts to use technology for better democracy.