Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that India is poised to take a historic step towards women's empowerment with the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill during a special session of Parliament from April 16 to 18, 2026. He stated that respecting mothers and sisters is equivalent to respecting the nation. The proposed legislation aims to reserve one-third of the Lok Sabha's seats for women, potentially increasing the total number of seats from 543 to a maximum of 850. This initiative is designed to enhance women's participation in governance and is expected to be implemented in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The Delimitation Commission will determine the final allocation of seats, with a focus on proportional representation based on the 2011 Census. Southern states may benefit from this allocation due to slower population growth compared to northern states.