Women's Reservation Bill: Tharoor seeks clarity on draft amendments

Shashi Tharoor demands to see the draft of the Women's Reservation Bill amendment ahead of the April 16 special session. The Congress CWC is set to meet to discuss the bill, which may be delinked from the new census and delimitation.

Clarity Sought on Women's Reservation Bill

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday called for clarity on the proposed amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill, stating that the opposition has not yet seen the draft ahead of the special Parliament session scheduled from April 16. "We have not seen a draft of the bill yet. I know they are planning to call a session of the Parliament on 16th April for this. We need to see the bill and understand what they are proposing. We have to figure out the implications for federalism, the functioning of the legislature, and parliament. Will there be 800 odd, will they get to speak? All these issues need to be discussed," Tharoor told ANI.

The Congress party is set to convene a meeting of its Congress Working Committee (CWC) in Delhi on April 10 to deliberate on developments related to the Women's Reservation Bill. The move comes ahead of the Centre's plan to introduce amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act during the upcoming three-day special session.

Details of Proposed Amendments

The proposed changes include delinking women's reservation from the pending census and delimitation exercise by using the 2011 census data. This could significantly increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to around 816 seats, with nearly one-third, approximately 273 seats, reserved for women. A separate Delimitation Bill is also expected to be introduced, and both measures will require passage as Constitutional amendments. While SC/ST reservation will continue, there is no provision for OBC reservation under the current framework, and states will have limited direct involvement.

Tharoor on Keralam Assembly Elections

Meanwhile, Tharoor also cast his vote in the Keralam Assembly elections in Thiruvananthapuram, describing the contest as primarily between the LDF and UDF. "The BJP is not a factor here... It is a fight between an incumbent LDF govt and a challenging UDF," he said.

Polling is underway across 140 constituencies, with over 2.69 crore voters eligible to decide the fate of 883 candidates. The election is seen as a high-stakes battle between the ruling LDF and the opposition UDF, with counting scheduled for May 4. (ANI)

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