--- title: "Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam: 33% Women Quota" description: "The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is India's 2023 law reserving 33% of Lok Sabha and assembly seats for women, contingent on the census and delimitation." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/nari-shakti-vandan-adhiniyam" --- [New](https://modeldiplomat.com/) # Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026 TL;DR - The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is India's 106th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2023, which reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. - When will the women's reservation under the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam actually take effect? - Does the Act include a sub-quota for OBC women? - How does it differ from the 73rd and 74th Amendments? - Are reserved seats permanent, and does the quota cover the Rajya Sabha? [Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026 Go beyond the definition ## Research Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam like a delegate Model Diplomat's AI drafts position papers, speeches, and country research with real sources — built for MUN and politics students. ## Timeline 1. 20 September 2023 The legislation was introduced in the newly constructed Parliament building as the first bill of the special session in September 2023, passed the Lok Sabha… 2. 21 September 2023 The legislation was introduced in the newly constructed Parliament building as the first bill of the special session in September 2023, passed the Lok Sabha… 3. 28 September 2023 The legislation was introduced in the newly constructed Parliament building as the first bill of the special session in September 2023, passed the Lok Sabha… 4. 9 March 2010 Earlier women's reservation bills were introduced in 1996 under the Deve Gowda government, again in 1998 and 1999 under the Vajpayee government, and most pro… ## Positions at a glance ### Supporters The Act drew on a long legislative lineage. Earlier women's reservation bills were introduced in 1996 under the Deve Gowda government, again in 1998 and 1999 under the Vajpayee government, and most prominently in 2008 when the UPA government's bill passed the Rajya Sabha on 9 March 2010 but lapsed in the Lok Sabha. The 2023 enactment under the Modi government, with Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal moving the bill, finally secured passage with near-unanimous cross-party support, though the Asaduddin Owaisi–led AIMIM opposed it over the absence of an OBC and Muslim sub-quota. The naming of the statute in Hindi—invoking "reverence for women's power"—marked a stylistic departure from conventional English short titles. ### Opponents The deferral clause has generated the sharpest controversy. Because the decennial census due in 2021 was postponed and a subsequent delimitation has not been completed, critics—including the Congress and several regional parties—argue that the reservation may not take practical effect until 2029 or later, rendering the immediate political gesture symbolic. Opposition members demanded that the quota be implemented from the next general election without awaiting census and delimitation, and pressed for an explicit OBC sub-category. Constitutional commentators have also noted the tension between freezing the total number of Lok Sabha seats until 2026 under the 84th Amendment and the delimitation contingency embedded in Article 334A, leaving the precise timeline legally uncertain as of the mid-2020s. ## Research it like a delegate Research on modeldiplomat.com ## Ask a follow-up about Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Open a cited briefing in Model Diplomat search — timelines, positions, and sources you can use in committee or exam answers. [Start research on Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam](https://modeldiplomat.com/search?q=Explain%20Nari%20Shakti%20Vandan%20Adhiniyam%20%E2%80%94%20key%20dates%2C%20actors%2C%20positions%2C%20and%20sources) Example In September 2023, India's Parliament passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam as the 106th Constitutional Amendment, with President Droupadi Murmu granting assent on 28 September 2023. Keep learning ## Go deeper than the definition [Explore all Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams lessons](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services)[Test yourself with a quiz](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/quiz/civil-services) ## Take Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam beyond the glossary Ask the AI research engine built for diplomacy — get briefings, position papers, and speeches with sources you can cite in committee.