Women Reservation Bill: 5 Major Hurdles Before it Becomes a Reality

The Women Reservation Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha on September 19. 27 years and counting, while people are hailing the bill, it is still a long haul.

The Women Reservation Bill was tabled in the parliament on Monday and later was introduced in the special session in Lok Sabha on September 19.  The initiative by the BJP-led government was hailed by all. The bill introduced a constitutional amendment bill reserving 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, reviving a bill pending for 27 years on the first day in the new Parliament building here.

While this move has garnered major appreciation, there is still a long way to go for the implementation of the bill. There are a lot of hurdles that this battle for the reservation entails before it becomes a reality.

WOMEN RESERVATION BILL 5 MAJOR HURDLES

The women’s reservation bill, introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, will have to cross several hurdles before it becomes a reality, including support cutting across political lines and early census and delimitation exercise.

1. The provisions in the Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill make it clear that the women’s reservation will come into effect only after the delimitation exercise or the redrawing of constituencies taking into account the data of the census conducted once the bill becomes a law.
2. Constitutional experts said after the passage of the Bill by both Houses of Parliament, it will also have to be approved by at least 50 per cent of state assemblies to become a law. The nod by state assemblies is necessary as it affects the rights of the states.
3. According to Article 82 of the Constitution, as amended in 2002, the delimitation process can be carried out based on the first Census taken after 2026. The first Census after 2026 was to be carried out in 2031, which would be followed by delimitation or redrawing of constituencies.
4. The 2021 census exercise was postponed by the government in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will have to be put on a fast track by the government for the Women’s reservation to be turned into reality before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
5. Another concern voiced by experts is that women may become figureheads with their husbands wielding the real power, as has been witnessed at the panchayat levels. The purpose of the legislation to uplift women would be defeated if the elected representatives under the quota were from the same families where male members are in politics, said Shilpi Jain, a prominent lawyer.

“There could be a provision to encourage women who are not from political backgrounds to contest, otherwise the purpose would be defeated by reservation,” she said speaking to PTI. Shabnam Hashmi, women’s rights activist and founding trustee of Left-leaning NGO Anhad, said a large number of women were asserting themselves. “At the MLA and MP levels, there would be a difference. She would need to establish herself at the constituency level, she will need to be more assertive and more dependent on herself rather than the family,” she said.

(With PTI Inputs)