Landmark Decision: Union Cabinet Endorses 33% Women’s Reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies
In a landmark decision, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has sanctioned the Women’s Reservation Bill. This pivotal move comes on the cusp of the forthcoming April elections, with the government keen to resonate with the female electorate, which forms half of the voting populace.
Union Minister Prahlad Patel initially heralded the approval through a post on X (formerly Twitter). However, this announcement was subsequently removed. Despite the deletion, several media outlets have corroborated the Cabinet’s endorsement, referencing anonymous government insiders.
The bill, a subject of fervent discussion and speculation, proposes to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies exclusively for women, marking a significant stride towards amplifying women’s participation in the nation’s decision-making corridors.
The special parliamentary session, previously announced without a definitive agenda, was inaugurated with a discourse on India’s ‘parliamentary journey’ spanning 75 years. Prime Minister Modi initiated the discussion in the Lok Sabha, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal taking the lead in the Rajya Sabha. Intriguingly, the Women’s Reservation Bill was absent from the session’s preliminary schedule. Its significance, however, was accentuated by various political stakeholders. Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) lawmaker K Kavitha notably penned a letter to 47 political parties, urging a collective effort to pass the bill during this special session.
Historically, the Rajya Sabha had endorsed the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008, colloquially termed the ‘women’s reservation bill’, which echoed a similar objective. Yet, it became defunct post the Lok Sabha’s dissolution and never transitioned to the lower house for subsequent deliberation.
The Supreme Court is currently engrossed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) lodged by the National Federation of Indian Women. This PIL advocates for the 2008 bill’s reintroduction, underscoring its broad-based support across political spectrums.
Reacting to the recent developments, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh remarked,
“It’s been a long-standing demand of the Congress party to implement women’s reservation. We welcome the reported decision of the Union Cabinet and await the details of the Bill. This could have very well been discussed in the all-party meeting before the Special Session, and consensus could have been built instead of operating under a veil of secrecy.”
During his commemorative address on Parliament’s 75th anniversary, PM Modi spotlighted the escalating contributions of female parliamentarians. He quantified, stating that of the 7500-plus public representatives across both Houses, women constituted approximately 600.
The endorsement of the Women’s Reservation Bill is perceived as a monumental leap, especially given that women presently constitute a mere 15% of the Lok Sabha and roughly 14% in the Rajya Sabha.
Esteemed Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi, S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nitin Gadkari, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, graced the cabinet meeting that determined the bill’s trajectory.
As the nation keenly anticipates further specifics and the bill’s formal introduction in the new Parliament edifice, the Union Cabinet’s decision undeniably signifies a leap towards a more inclusive and representative democratic fabric.
