273 Lok Sabha seats for women: Union Cabinet approves Women's Reservation Bill, to be introduced in Parliament on April 16

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved an amendment bill to provide 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The Cabinet has also cleared a bill related to constituency delimitation. Both bills will be introduced during a special three-day Parliament session starting on April 16. The amendment will be made to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam of 2023.

As part of the delimitation process, the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will increase by 50%. The Lok Sabha seats will go up from 543 to 816, out of which 273 seats will be reserved for women. The government will not wait for the next Census of 2027 for the delimitation. Instead, the 2011 Census data will be used. The aim is to implement women’s reservation in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and the upcoming state assembly elections.

Within the 33% quota, there will be a reservation for women from the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. However, there is no clarity yet on whether a separate quota will be given to women from Other Backward Classes (OBC). Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao has demanded a quota for OBC women as well. The Congress Working Committee will meet in Delhi to discuss the provisions of the bill. Meanwhile, the central government has not responded positively to the opposition’s demand for an all-party meeting.

All parties should support the bill unanimously: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged all political parties to support the bill unanimously, saying that providing reservation for women in legislative bodies is the need of the time and a historic opportunity.

Centre, BJP planning large-scale campaign
The central government and the BJP are planning a large-scale campaign to promote the bill. A women’s conference will be held on April 13 at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi, where the Prime Minister will address the gathering. The BJP’s nationwide campaign has been named “Mahila Samvaad.”