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Article 334A

Implementation Timeline and Fifteen-Year Sunset for Women’s Reservation

Official heading: “Reservation of seats for women to take effect”

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Source edition
The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
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Part XVI, Article 334A, printed page 193
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1. In One Sentence

Provides that women’s reservations in Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and Delhi Assembly take effect after post-commencement census delimitation, with a fifteen-year sunset and seat rotation.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Inserted by the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 (effective 16 April 2026), Article 334A governs the operational mechanics and duration of women’s legislative reservations.

Clause (1) specifies that the reservation shall come into effect only after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken following the publication of relevant figures from the first census conducted after the commencement of the 106th Amendment.

The reservation is granted an initial duration of fifteen years from its commencement, after which Parliament may by law extend it.

Clauses (2) and (3) provide that reserved seats shall continue until determined by parliamentary law and that reserved seats shall be rotated after each subsequent delimitation exercise.

Clause (4) contains a savings proviso ensuring that ongoing terms of existing legislative chambers are not disrupted prior to dissolution.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

Following the publication of the first national decennial census after April 2026, a Delimitation Commission redraws constituency boundaries and allocates one-third reserved women’s seats.

Core takeaway: Article 334A dictates the statutory sequence: census publication, then delimitation, followed by seat reservation rollout.
Illustrative Notice: The quota is scheduled to operate for 15 years from commencement unless Parliament enacts legislation extending its life.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 334A outlines the temporal and procedural conditions for women’s political reservation.

  • Prerequisite steps: Contingent upon publication of the post-2023 census and subsequent delimitation.
  • Fifteen-year duration: Operates for an initial statutory span of 15 years, subject to parliamentary continuation.
  • Seat rotation: Mandates periodic rotation of reserved constituencies across successive delimitation cycles to ensure broad territorial opportunity.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provision of this Part or Part VIII, the provisions of the Constitution relating to the reservation of seats for women in the House of the People, the Legislative Assembly of a State and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi shall come into effect after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose after the relevant figures for the first census taken after commencement of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 have been published and shall cease to have effect on the expiration of a period of fifteen years from such commencement. (2) Subject to the provisions of articles 239AA, 330A and 332A, seats reserved for women in the House of the People, the Legislative Assembly of a State and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi shall continue till such date as the Parliament may by law determine. (3) Rotation of seats reserved for women in the House of the People, the Legislative Assembly of a State and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi shall take effect after each subsequent exercise of delimitation as the Parliament may by law determine. (4) Nothing in this article shall affect any representation in the House of the People, the Legislative Assembly of a State or the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi until the dissolution of the then existing House of the People, Legislative Assembly of a State or the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata
  • •
    Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
    Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XVI, Article 334A, printed page 193 • Human source-link check pending

    Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource

Related Constitutional Articles to Explore:

Go to ARTICLE 330A →Go to ARTICLE 332A →Go to ARTICLE 334 →