The Indian government is considering implementing a lottery system to decide which constituencies will be reserved for women under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, a law passed in September 2023 to reserve a third of seats for women in national and state legislatures.
The government is also exploring the option of delinking the reservation process from the delimitation and census exercises, which could allow the law to come into effect before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand assembly elections.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju has reached out to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to seek his party's view on the matter, and the government is trying to evolve a consensus with opposition parties.
The opposition has suggested implementing the law from the 2029 Lok Sabha election, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has questioned the government's intent, claiming that the delay in implementing the reservation defeats its purpose.
