The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026:
The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha alongside major constitutional amendments to facilitate the expansion of Parliament.
- This Bill is a supplementary piece of legislation designed to extend the provisions of the 131st Constitutional Amendment and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 specifically to the Union Territories (UTs) with legislative assemblies.
- It ensures that the legal changes regarding seat increases and women’s reservation are uniformly applied to the UTs of Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Key Features:
- Application to Specific UTs: The Bill primarily modifies laws governing the Legislative Assemblies of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir.
- Delinking from 2027 Census: Similar to the national Bill, it removes the requirement that women’s reservation must wait for the first census after 2023. Instead, it allows for reservation based on the delimitation conducted using the latest published census (2011).
- Alignment with 131st Amendment: It ensures that the increase in the maximum number of UT representatives in the Lok Sabha (from 20 to 35 members) is legally integrated into the UT-specific statutes.
- Synchronized Delimitation: It mandates that the Delimitation Commission constituted under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, will have the authority to redraw assembly seats in these UTs.
- Rotational Reservation: Provisions are included to ensure that seats reserved for women in UT assemblies are allotted by rotation to different constituencies across successive elections.
