Focus on women’s reservation
PM Narendra Modi is expected to speak in the Lok Sabha on April 16 and present a detailed roadmap for the bill. The discussion is likely to run for 18 hours in the Lok Sabha, while the Rajya Sabha will debate the issue for 10 hours, with voting scheduled for April 18. Amit Shah is expected to reply to the debate.
The government has convened the session to amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed in 2023, to enable the reservation before the earlier timeline linked to post-2027 Census delimitation.
PM Modi on Tuesday spoke to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urging the opposition to back the Women Reservation Bill.
What is the Women Reservation Bill?
The bill does not fix the exact number of Lok Sabha seats. It sets an upper limit of 850 members, with “not more than 815” from states and “not more than 35” from Union Territories. The final number will be decided by a delimitation commission.
Seat allocation will follow proportional representation. Government sources say southern states could benefit due to better population control, as the 2011 Census will be used as the base.
The Prime Minister has called the move the “sentiment of the nation” and the voice of “Nari Shakti”. The discussions over the next three days are expected to shape the future of women’s representation in Indian politics.
