The Women’s Reservation Bill, presented in Parliament on Tuesday, is slated for discussion in the Lok Sabha today. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, will lead her party’s deliberations in the lower house. The Women’s Reservation Bill was initially introduced by the Congress party during UPA 1.
The bill was presented in the Rajya Sabha in 2008 and successfully cleared the upper house hurdle in 2010. However, due to opposition from various parties regarding reservations for SC/ST and OBC within the Women’s Reservation Bill, and due to a lack of numbers, it failed to pass in the Lok Sabha and eventually lapsed.
In a move to pass the historic Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, the Narendra Modi government convened a special session of Parliament. The Modi government has named it the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,” and it was introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the bill would further fortify Indian democracy and urged all parties to unanimously support its passage.
“The Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam will further strengthen our democracy. I congratulate mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation for Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam. I assure all mothers, sisters, and daughters of the nation that we are committed to making this bill into law,” PM Modi remarked.
While acknowledging it as the brainchild of the grand old party, the Congress party has pledged its support for the Women’s Reservation Bill. However, it has referred to the Narishakti Vandan Adhiniyam as an “election jumla” due to the absence of OBC representation. Additionally, it’s unlikely that the bill will become effective before 2027, according to reports.
The allocation of 33 percent of seats to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies can only be implemented after the redrawing of constituencies through a delimitation exercise, which is anticipated to occur only after the next census in 2027.
