After a long wait of 27 years since its initial introduction in Parliament, the Lok Sabha finally passed the Women Reservation Bill on September 20. This historic moment marked an amendment to the Constitution, paving the way for 33% reservation of seats for women in both the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The demand for Women reservation in parliament was first raised by the Indian government in 1989.
The Women Reservation Bill’s key provisions include a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies of the State and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It also extends these reservations within the seats allocated for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Moreover, the Bill proposes to uphold this reservation for a span of 15 years, with seats designated for women being rotated after each delimitation exercise.
PM Narendra Modi described this legislation as a significant step forward for women’s participation in the political process and expressed his gratitude to Lok Sabha members across party lines who supported the Bill.
“I thank MPs across Party lines who voted in support of this Bill,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Only two nays
With a remarkable 454 members of the Lok Sabha supporting the Constitution Women Reservation Bill 2023, the constitutional requirement of a “two-thirds majority of the members present and voting” was comfortably met.
Asaduddin Owaisi and Syed Imtiyaz Jaleel of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen were the only two members who opposed the Bill. The voting process, during which Prime Minister Modi was present, took nearly two hours as members cast their votes manually using paper slips.
Battle for credit
The 8-hour-long debate witnessed members from both the Treasury and Opposition benches, led by the Congress, engaging in a battle over who should receive credit for the historic Women Reservation Bill. Additionally, there were discussions regarding the possibility of having a separate quota for women from other backward classes (OBCs). Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House that the government would address any shortcomings in the future and emphasized the importance of supporting the women reservation in Parliament for guaranteed reservation.
‘Quota within quota’
The Congress made a change from its 2010 position, with Sonia Gandhi leading the demand for a separate quota within the quota for OBCs after conducting a caste census. She also stressed that there was no need to delay the Women Reservation Bill’s implementation by linking it to a delimitation exercise that is frozen until 2026.
“It is the demand of the Congress to implement the Women Reservation Bill immediately… But along with that, provision should be made for reservation for SC, ST and OBC women,” she said.
When will the Bill come into effect?
Regarding the implementation timeline, the women’s quota can only come into effect after the first delimitation of constituencies following the passage of the Women Reservation Bill, which is expected in 2027, as delimitation is typically carried out after the next census. Therefore, the Bill may not come into effect until 2029.
History of Women’s Reservation Bill
The origins of the Women Reservation Bill trace back to the Indian Government in 1989 when former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at providing one-third reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies. Introducing women reservation in India has been INC’s agenda since 1989 focused primarily on women reservation in Parliament.
‘Avoiding political reservation’
Explaining the decision to implement reservation after delimitation, Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that this approach ensures that a quasi-judicial body like the Delimitation Commission can decide, after public consultation, which seats to reserve. He raised the question of whether political reservation would arise if seats like Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad or Asaduddin Owaisi’s Hyderabad were reserved.
Long voting process
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal pointed out that providing immediate reservations might face legal challenges. To avoid such technicalities, the government opted for the current approach.
During the extensive Lok Sabha debate, which included participation from 27 women MPs out of a total of 60 speakers, the voting process took a significant amount of time. Electronic voting was not possible as some political parties had not yet informed the Lok Sabha secretariat about the division number or the specific seats allocated to individual members.
Why is the Bill so important?
The Women Reservation Bill is of paramount importance as it is instrumental in achieving gender equality and promoting women’s active participation in the political decision-making process. Historically, women have been underrepresented in politics, perpetuating societal inequalities. By reserving seats for women in parliament, we can ensure that their voices are heard, their perspectives are considered, and their interests are adequately represented. The Women Reservation Bill not only empowers women but also leads to more inclusive and diverse policymaking, as women bring unique insights and priorities to the legislative table.