The women’s reservation bill, also known as the Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008, is being discussed in a five-day special session of Parliament. The bill aims to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. It also proposes reserving one-third of seats for women from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. These reserved seats can be rotated among different constituencies.
Despite its importance in achieving gender equality and inclusive governance, the bill has been stuck in the legislative process for a long time. It was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but has not been presented in the Lower House of Parliament.
The bill states that the reservation of seats for women will end 15 years after the amendment act comes into effect.
Before the start of the Parliament session, leaders from various political parties expressed their support for the women’s reservation bill. NCP leader Supriya Sule defended the Congress’s role in bringing the legislation, citing that the first woman prime minister and president were from the Congress. NCP leader Praful Patel, who is an ally of the BJP, also urged the government to pass the bill in this session.
