After Three Decades of Waiting, Crucial Legislation Aims to Empower Women in Indian Politics.
New Delhi: In a significant turn of events, the Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to secure a 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on September 19th, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding the occasion as a “historic day.” The bill, officially known as the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,’ has been a long-standing aspiration and was first introduced nearly three decades ago. The introduction of this bill, which has been in limbo for nearly three decades, could potentially boost the number of women Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha from the current 82 to 181.
Historical Context
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attributed the origin of the Women’s Reservation Bill to his party, stating that previous Congress governments led by Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, and Manmohan Singh had consistently attempted to pass the bill to provide reservation for women. However, he also pointed out that the bill remained pending despite its passage in the Rajya Sabha during the Congress regime under Manmohan Singh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah countered this claim, asserting that the bill had already lapsed. Several attempts and setbacks over the years have indeed marked the journey of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Key Provisions of the Women’s Reservation Bill
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to introduce several important articles and clauses in the Constitution:
- New Clause in 239AA: This clause mandates the reservation of seats for women in the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Additionally, one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) shall also be reserved for women, along with one-third of the total number of seats filled through direct elections.
- New Article – 330A: This article focuses on the reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha. It stipulates that one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and Scheduled Tribes (STs) shall also be reserved for women, as well as one-third of the total seats filled through direct elections to the Lok Sabha.
- New Article – 332A: Reserved seats for women in every state Legislative Assembly are addressed in this article. Similar to Article 330A, one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs shall be reserved for women, along with one-third of the total seats filled through direct elections to the Legislative Assembly.
- New Article – 334A: This article outlines that the reservation shall come into effect after the delimitation is conducted following the publication of relevant figures from the first census. It also establishes a rotation system for seats allocated to women after each subsequent delimitation exercise.
A Long and Complex Journey
The Women’s Reservation Bill’s journey dates back to 1996 when it was first introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Deve Gowda-led United Front government. Despite subsequent reintroductions in 1998, 1999, 2002, and 2003, the bill failed to garner the required support for passage.
In 2008, during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, the bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha and was successfully passed in 2010. However, it was never taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha and ultimately lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.
The reintroduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha now marks a fresh effort to address gender disparity in Indian politics and bring about a historic change in the representation of women in the country’s legislative bodies. The bill’s fate will be closely watched as it navigates the complexities of parliamentary debate and decision-making.