2 months ago
1
The government, sources said, has reached retired to respective Opposition leaders, seeking their sentiment connected bringing an amendment to beforehand the timeline connected the implementation of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act oregon Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which seeks to allocate 33% of the seats to straight elected legislative bodies, including the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, for women.
The legislation, much commonly known arsenic the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023 was passed by Parliament successful a peculiar session, the archetypal 1 successful the caller Parliament building, connected September 21, 2023. The Lok Sabha passed the Bill with 454 votes successful favour and 2 against. The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill unanimously, with 214 votes successful favour and nary against.
Section 5 of the Act states that the preservation for women volition travel into effect “after an workout of delimitation is undertaken for this intent aft the applicable figures for the archetypal Census taken aft commencement of Act…” The Union Cabinet cleared the decks for the Census connected December 12, 2025, to beryllium undertaken successful 2 phases — “houselisting and lodging census” — betwixt April and September 2026, and colonisation enumeration successful February 2027. The timeline for delimitation, which is expected to summation the fig of Lok Sabha seats, continues to beryllium ambiguous.
Sources successful the authorities confirmed to The Hinduthat “informal feelers” had been sent to respective Opposition leaders, seeking their sentiment connected introducing the amendments to Act, removing the necessity to hold for the completion of the Census, which successful crook would assistance successful initiating the delimitation exercise.
Opinion | Parliament’s historical law, an extended hold for women
“We person sent messages informally connected this; thing ceremonial oregon adjacent suggestions from our broadside person been shared. If determination is simply a ceremonial question connected this, it volition beryllium shared,” a elder root successful the authorities said. The root did not clarify the destiny of a delimitation workout oregon whether determination were immoderate thoughts connected the implementation of the Act earlier the exercise.
Speaking to reporters astatine Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju connected February 15 had stated that the 2nd portion of the Budget Session, which began connected Monday (March 9, 2026), would beryllium “interesting” arsenic respective “important” legislations and a “critical” Bill, would beryllium presented successful Parliament for statement and passage. “We volition bring immoderate important Bills, including 1 captious Bill. We volition not disclose present arsenic to what the Bill is, but we volition bring up 1 precise important concern successful the 2nd part. We volition walk each these Bills,” Mr. Rijiju had said.
The ambiguity successful the timeline of the legislation’s implementation was the main thrust of the Opposition’s disapproval during the statement connected the instrumentality successful Parliament. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, besides the Leader of the Opposition successful the Rajya Sabha, speaking during the debate, had said that determination was nary request to “link women’s preservation with Census and delimitation”. He had criticised the authorities that by placing these 2 conditions, the Bill could crook retired to beryllium a specified “jumla”.
Of the full members successful the 17th Lok Sabha, 15% are women, portion successful the State Assemblies, women connected mean represent 9% of the full members.
