The Women’s Reservation Bill, which will mandate 33 per cent seats for women politicians in the Lok Sabha along with state Assemblies got clearance in a key meeting of the Union Cabinet on Monday. Though there has been no official announcement regarding the decision, Union Minister Prahlad Patel had posted on X (formerly Twitter) regarding Union Cabinet’s decision. In his now-deleted tweet, Patel had said that only the Modi government had the courage to take the decision in this regard. He had also congratulated PM Modi for the decision.
Ever since the Centre announced the Special Session of Parliament, there were many speculations regarding the agenda of the sudden decision to call the session. While some said that the Centre is likely to change the name of the country from India to Bharat, others said that there may be some announcement regarding ‘one nation, one poll.’
The constitution amendment bill to provide reservations for women in Parliament and state assemblies has been approved by the Union cabinet which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This approval paves a way for the introduction of the historic bill in the ongoing special session of Parliament, officials said.
However, some BJP functionaries speculated that this new bill will not be similar to the 2010 bill and is likely to expand the scope of reservation beyond the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies.
This bill is capable of dividing the INDIA alliance depending on its provisions. There are some INDIA parties that want sub-quotas for SC, ST, and OBC communities within the bill.
The bill is likely to have support from the ruling NDA, its supporter BJD and key opposition parties such as the Congress, Trinamool, BRS and Left. the bill is set to receive the support of 431 Lok Sabha MPs and 175 Rajya Sabha members.
The bill can become a law and would require an amendment to the Indian Constitution, if it is passed by a two-thirds majority in both the Houses of Parliament.