Reservation in Legislature — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
23rd Constitutional Amendment Act	1969	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the special representation for Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for another ten years, i.e., up to 1980.	Maintained the continuity of political representation for marginalized communities, signaling the ongoing need for affirmative action beyond the initial ten-year period.
45th Constitutional Amendment Act	1980	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the special representation for Anglo-Indians for a further period of ten years, i.e., up to 1990.	Further reinforced the commitment to political reservation, acknowledging that the socio-economic and political integration of SCs and STs was still incomplete.
62nd Constitutional Amendment Act	1989	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the special representation for Anglo-Indians for another ten years, i.e., up to 2000.	Continued the policy of time-bound extensions, reflecting the persistent disparities and the need for continued political safeguards.
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act	1992	Introduced Part IX to the Constitution, providing for Panchayats. Mandated reservation of seats for SCs and STs in proportion to their population, and not less than one-third of seats for women, at all three levels of Panchayats.	Revolutionized local self-governance by extending reservation to the grassroots, ensuring political empowerment of SCs, STs, and women at the village, intermediate, and district levels. [VY:POL-02-01]
74th Constitutional Amendment Act	1992	Introduced Part IXA to the Constitution, providing for Municipalities. Mandated reservation of seats for SCs and STs in proportion to their population, and not less than one-third of seats for women, in Urban Local Bodies.	Extended the principles of reservation and democratic decentralization to urban areas, mirroring the provisions for rural local bodies and ensuring inclusive urban governance.
79th Constitutional Amendment Act	1999	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the special representation for Anglo-Indians for a period of ten years, i.e., up to 2010.	Maintained the existing framework of political reservation, demonstrating continued parliamentary consensus on its necessity.
84th Constitutional Amendment Act	2001	Froze the readjustment of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, including those reserved for SCs and STs, until the first census conducted after the year 2026. This was done to encourage population control measures without penalizing states that achieved lower population growth.	Stabilized the number of seats for a significant period, but also meant that the current reservation figures are based on the 2001 census (or earlier 1971 for total seats), not the latest population data, until the next delimitation post-2026.
95th Constitutional Amendment Act	2009	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs and the special representation for Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for another ten years, i.e., up to 2020.	Continued the established practice of extending political reservation, reflecting the ongoing assessment of the need for these safeguards.
104th Constitutional Amendment Act	2019	Extended the reservation of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for a further period of ten years, i.e., up to January 25, 2030. Crucially, it *discontinued* the provision for the nomination of Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.	Ensured the continuity of political reservation for SCs and STs while marking the end of a specific form of special representation for the Anglo-Indian community, signaling an evolving approach to affirmative action.