The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to introducing two bills in the next session of Parliament that would pave the way for implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, and setting up a delimitation commission, a person familiar with the details said.
According to the source, the Cabinet’s approval came before the Parliament session from April 16 to 18.
The Women’s Reservation Bill or Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which was passed in Parliament in September 2023, mandates that one-third or 33% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies be reserved for women.
HT had earlier reported that the government is working on separating the bill to provide 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies from the ongoing census, and roll out the bill from the 2029 general elections. This will include increasing the number of seats in legislative assemblies by 50%. The amendments could increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 816, of which 273 seats are reserved for women, and the proportional representation of each state will remain the same. The number 816 is close to the number 814.5 which could be reached by increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats, currently 543, by 50%.
Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that a three-day special session of Parliament from April 16-18 would speed up the implementation of the bill, assuring southern states that their representation would not be reduced.
The government had previously informed the opposition that it intended to form a committee to demarcate the border by June.
