New Delhi: The Women Reservation Bill, known as the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam,’ aiming to ensure a 33% quota for women in both the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was introduced today during a special session in the new Parliament building.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the bill as the 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, which states that the provisions related to the reservation of women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will come into effect after the delimitation exercise has been conducted in the constituencies. For the purpose of this delimitation exercise, the figures from the census conducted after the act comes into effect will be used as the basis, as specified in the bill.

Here are the key aspects of the bill:

1) The bill necessitates the reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament. According to this amendment, one-third of all Lok Sabha seats will be reserved for women, aiming to enhance female representation in the national legislature.

2) The bill extends its provisions to the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It specifies that one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes in the Delhi Assembly will also be reserved for women. Additionally, one-third of the total seats filled by direct election in the Delhi Assembly, including those reserved for women from Scheduled Castes, will be reserved for women.

3) The amendment applies to the legislative assemblies of all Indian states. Similar to the Lok Sabha and Delhi Assembly provisions, one-third of the total seats reserved under this clause, including those for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, will be reserved for women.

4) The bill outlines that the provisions regarding seat reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and the Delhi Assembly will take effect after a delimitation exercise is conducted. It specifies that these provisions will be implemented after the relevant figures from the first census following the commencement of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 2023, are published. These provisions will remain in effect for fifteen years from that commencement.

5) The bill allows for the rotation of reserved seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Assemblies, and the Delhi Assembly following each subsequent delimitation exercise, as determined by Parliament. DeshGujarat