Jammu, Apr 16: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday introduced “The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026” to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 to align the provisions relating to (33 percent) reservation for women with the constitutional framework under Article 334A and the delimitation law.
The Bill was part of three bills introduced in the Lok Sabha for amendment to women quota law and to set up a delimitation commission. Other two bills viz., The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 were introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union Law Minister Arjun ram Meghwal.
“The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026”, which will amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, aims at aligning the provisions relating to determination of population with the law relating to delimitation and providing that the total number of seats in the Legislative Assemblies and their territorial composition should be determined by the Delimitation Commission in accordance with the law made by Parliament.
Explaining the rationale of “The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026”, Shah has pointed out that the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 amended article 239AA and inserted articles 330A, 332A and 334A in the Constitution to provide for reservation of seats for women in the House of the People and the Legislative Assemblies, including in the Legislative Assemblies of Union Territories.
“Those provisions contemplate that such reservation will become operative after an exercise of delimitation undertaken on the basis of the relevant census. Further, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to revise the constitutional framework relating to delimitation, allocation of seats and the meaning of “population”, by providing that readjustment of constituencies and allocation of seats will be undertaken by the Delimitation Commission on the basis of such a census as Parliament may by law determine,” HM Shah stated.
However, the provisions contained in the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and the
Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 are presently based on the existing constitutional framework relating to population, delimitation and reservation.
“Under the revised constitutional scheme, the expression “population”, the allocation of seats and the readjustment of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies are proposed to be governed with reference to such census as Parliament may by law
determine, and such readjustment is to be undertaken by the Delimitation Commission,” it was stated.
The revised scheme, as per the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, also aligns the operation of reservation of seats for women in the Legislative Assemblies of the concerned Union territories with
article 334A of the Constitution and the delimitation exercise undertaken thereunder.
“In view of these constitutional changes, the (revised) enactments require suitable amendments so as to bring them in conformity with the revised constitutional scheme. It is, therefore, proposed to amend the aforesaid enactments, inter alia, to align the provisions relating to determination of population with the law relating to delimitation; provide that the total number of seats in the Legislative Assemblies and their territorial composition shall be determined by the Delimitation Commission in accordance with the law made by Parliament, subject to prescribed minimum strength and align the provisions relating to reservation for women with the constitutional framework under article 334A and the delimitation law,” Shah stated.
“The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026” also proposes to amend the enactments to provide for readjustment of Parliamentary and Assembly
constituencies by the Delimitation Commission along with appropriate transitional safeguards and omit obsolete, redundant or inconsistent provisions relating to earlier delimitation arrangements, so as to ensure clarity and coherence in the statutory framework.
The proposed amendments are largely consequential and enabling in nature, arising from the revised constitutional framework, and are intended to ensure
consistency and effective implementation of the provisions relating to delimitation, representation and reservation in the Legislative Assemblies of Union territories.
“They do not involve any independent policy departure but seek to harmonise the existing statutory provisions with the amended constitutional scheme,” Shah stated, while explaining the objectives of Bill.
WHAT AMENDMENTS TO THE J&K REORGANISATION ACT, 2019
Precisely, these amendments provide that the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to be filled by persons chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies, as may be determined by the Delimitation Commission, will not be less than 114 (instead of 107), including 24 seats reserved for PoJK.
These twenty-four seats in the Legislative Assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will remain vacant and will not be taken into account for reckoning the total membership of the Assembly, thus the number of elected persons will not be less than 90.
The number of nominated MLAs (yet to be filled up in J&K LA) will increase from 5 to 7, which will include three women.
33 percent reservation to women will be available only after the constituencies are redrawn through delimitation. It will last for 15 years unless Parliament extends it further. Reserved seats will be rotated among different constituencies over time.
The delimitation of the constituencies may be determined by the Election Commission in the manner hereinafter provided the number of seats to be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assembly, having regard to the relevant provisions of the Constitution; the assembly constituencies into which the Union territory shall be divided, the extent of each of such constituencies and in which of them seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes or for the Scheduled Tribes; and the adjustments in the boundaries and description of the extent of the parliamentary constituencies in each Union Territory that may be necessary or expedient.
