Women's Reservation Bill Passed in Lok Sabha
The Women's Reservation Bill 2023 passed in the Lok Sabha with strong support but faces implementation and OBC reservation concerns.
Formally called the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 or the "Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam," was introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha on 20th September 2023. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with 454 votes in favor and two against it. The bill seeks to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha, state legislatures, and the Delhi legislative assembly for women. The number of women members in the Lok Sabha will now increase from 82 to 181. This is one of the few instances of bipartisanship (agreement or cooperation between two political parties that usually oppose each other') in Parliament. The Bill must now be passed by the Upper House of Parliament and at least half of India's state legislatures. One-third of the quota shall be allocated to women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It also excludes reservations for women in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. The quota, however, would not apply to the Rajya Sabha or state legislative councils. Since its introduction in 1996, there have been six unsuccessful attempts to pass the Bill. The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, during the Manmohan Singh government; however, it lapsed with the dissolution of the government. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It is good that the bill got passed but we have concerns, it is a bit of a Jhumla since the reservation will become effective only after a census and delimitation exercise. Hence it is very unclear when this bill will actually be implemented." Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi sought a reservation for OBCs and immediate implementation of the bill. Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi said, "There is one thing, in my view, that makes this bill incomplete. I would like to have seen OBC reservation included in this bill," he said. AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi and his party MP Imtiaz Jaleel voted against the women's reservation bill in Lok Sabha. They were the only two MPs who were in opposition. Owaisi said they were fighting for the inclusion of the OBC and Muslim women and hence voted against it. Wrapping up a discussion on the Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah, in his reply, assured “transparent process” to identify the seats to be reserved for women.
