Newsroom24x7 Network

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of Indian Parliament on September 21, 2023 approved the women’s reservation bill following an exhaustive 11-hour debate.

This significant milestone marked the conclusion of the Special Session of Parliament, with both houses being adjourning ‘Sine Dine.’

The Lok Sabha passed the bill on the preceding Wednesday. Consequently, the legislation, which mandates a 33% reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, will soon be enshrined into law. However, its implementation will await the completion of the census and delimitation processes, a point that triggered vehement opposition from members of the Opposition.

The Congress party, which pressed for a “quota within quota” and proposed reservation of seats for other backward castes, had to bite dust in this regard.

In the Lok Sabha, opposition to the bill was minimal, with only two MPs from the AIMIM opposing it. Remarkably, there were no abstentions in the Rajya Sabha during the vote on the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill.

With both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha endorsing the bill, the next step involves seeking the President’s consent, to enshrine 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies in the Constitution.

Of historical note, this bill holds the distinction of being the first to be passed in the new Parliament building. Upon its successful passage in the Upper House, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar congratulated the members, hailing it as a historic achievement. He also noted the coincidence of the bill’s passage on the Hindu calendar date of Prime Minister Modi’s birthday.

Prime Minister Modi himself addressed the Rajya Sabha before the vote, expressing his belief that the bill would instill newfound confidence in the nation’s populace.

Opponents of the bill argue that it may perpetuate the unequal status of women, raising concerns on the grounds of merit-based competition. Additionally, detractors contend that this policy sidesteps broader electoral reform issues, such as the criminalization of politics and inner-party democracy.

Critics further point out that reserving seats in Parliament limits voters’ choices to female candidates, and rob the constitutional right of males to contest elections from their own constituency. Also, it is being pointed out that rotation of reserved constituencies in every election will be a disincentive for MPs to work for their constituents as they would know that they would lose the chance to get re-elected from the same constituency.