Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP P. Wilson on Saturday introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill as a private member’s initiative, which proposes reservation for women from the very next elections, without making any change in the existing number of 543 Lok Sabha seats and without delimiting constituencies or conducting census.
Similarly, the Bill paves the way for providing reservation to women in the State Assemblies, National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, that too without increasing the number of seats or carrying out any kind of delimitation or census.
Wilson said, “This reservation is not temporary; rather it has been made permanent.”
Further, a notice has been submitted to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Rajya Sabha, requesting adjournment of the day’s proceedings to facilitate discussion on reservation for women, a measure that requires immediate implementation without the need for any delimitation or census.
The Constitutional Amendment Act – 106, Nari Shakti Vandan Act (2023) passed by the Parliament in 2023 provides for 33% (one third) reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Meanwhile, the BJP-led NDA government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. This bill was related to implementing reservation for women through delimitation. In the voting held after a long debate, 298 members supported the bill while 230 members opposed it, resulting in the bill being defeated.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill could not be passed as it did not meet the constitutional criteria. The government had introduced three interrelated bills, including the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju later said the remaining bills would not be considered further.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier accused the opposition parties of blocking a key reform aimed at providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, said they supported women’s reservation, but opposed linking it to delimitation, calling the move an attempt to change India’s electoral structure.
The special session of Parliament was held amid the campaigning for assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.