Lok Sabha Passes Women's Reservation Bill
On Wednesday, September 20, the Lok Sabha passed a bill proposing to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha, state legislatures, and the Delhi legislative assembly. This Constitution Amendment Bill of 2023, introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal during a special Parliament session, gained approval with a 2/3rd majority in the Lok Sabha, with 454 MPs in favor and 2 against. The bill aims to introduce 33 percent reservation for women in these legislative bodies, but its implementation is contingent upon delimitation after the next census.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah mentioned that the census and delimitation would follow the elections, paving the way for one-third of women's representation in the House. While the opposition supported women's reservation, they questioned the bill's clause deferring its implementation until after the next delimitation exercise, which can only occur after the census. Many opposition members called for immediate implementation and separate reservations for women from OBC and minority communities.
Certain amendments to the bill were proposed by the Law Minister and accepted by the House. This discussion in the Lok Sabha took over eight hours to conclude.
Notably, the last time a similar bill was introduced was over a decade ago, in 2008, as the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill. It proposed amendments to several constitutional provisions and introduced new articles related to women's reservation, including a sunset clause. In contrast, the 2023 bill focuses on Article 239AA and the introduction of new articles 330A, 332A, and 334A, emphasising the importance of delimitation after the first census following enactment. The bill retains provisions regarding the reservation for the Anglo-Indian community, unlike the previous bill.
