DMK MP's bill seeks permanent women's reservation without delimitation

DMK MP P Wilson introduced a Private Member's Bill for permanent women's reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The bill seeks immediate implementation without requiring a census or delimitation, unlike the government's stalled proposal.

DMK MP Proposes Women's Quota Without Delimitation

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) MP P Wilson on Saturday introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill as a Private Member's initiative, proposing reservation for women from the very next election without altering the existing strength of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha and without undertaking any delimitation of constituencies or conducting a census.

Similarly, the Bill paves the way for providing reservations to women in State Legislative Assemblies, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and the Union Territories of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, again, without increasing the number of seats or conducting any delimitation or census. "This reservation is not temporary; rather, it has been made permanent," Wilson said.

Furthermore, a notice has been submitted to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha, requesting the suspension of the day's business to facilitate a discussion on the reservation for women, a measure that requires immediate implementation without the need for any delimitation or census.

Government's Position and Political Deadlock

The One Hundred and Sixth Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam), passed in 2023 by Parliament, provides for 33% (one-third) reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

Meanwhile, the BJP-led NDA government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which was linked to implementing women's reservation through delimitation. In the voting held after a marathon debate, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it, leading to its defeat.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass as it fell short of the constitutional threshold. The government had introduced three interlinked legislations, 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 pursued.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier accused opposition parties of blocking a key reform aimed at granting 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained that they support women's reservation but opposed linking it with delimitation, calling the move an attempt to alter India's electoral structure.

The special sitting of Parliament was held amid the campaign for the assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. (ANI)

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