In a strong show of solidarity, more than 10 political parties recently staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanding the swift passage of the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill. The bill, which proposes to reserve 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women, has been a topic of debate and contention for decades.
The historical context of the issue can be traced back to the Indian national movement. In 1931, prominent leaders Begum Shah Nawaz and Sarojini Naidu penned a letter to the British Prime Minister, advocating for absolute equality of political status for Indian women. While the matter of women’s reservation was discussed during the Constituent Assembly debates, it was initially rejected as being unnecessary, with the assumption that a democracy would naturally ensure representation for all groups.
However, as time progressed, it became evident that equal representation was not automatically forthcoming, leading to the recurring discussion of women’s reservation in political decision-making processes. The National Perspective Plan for Women in 1988 proposed reserving seats for women in local bodies, which ultimately resulted in the landmark 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution. These amendments mandated one-third reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies, with a further one-third reserved for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe women in those seats.
Despite the successful implementation of reservations in local bodies, the Women’s Reservation Bill, which aims to extend similar representation to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, has faced numerous hurdles. It was first introduced as the 81st Amendment Bill in September 1996 but failed to receive approval in the Lok Sabha. Subsequent attempts in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2008 also did not secure the majority votes required for passage.
India’s current representation of women in Parliament stands at about 14%, the highest recorded thus far. However, this figure falls behind neighboring countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, pointing to the need for stronger affirmative action to improve the political condition of women.
Advocates of the Women’s Reservation Bill argue that political parties are inherently patriarchal, making affirmative action imperative to ensure a more equitable representation of women. They believe that the reservations will create a stronger and more influential lobby of women in Parliament, better equipped to champion critical issues that are often overlooked.
Evidence from local bodies where women have had reserved seats indicates the positive impact of women’s leadership. Women panchayat leaders have shattered social norms, increased accessibility to governance, curbed the stranglehold of liquor, invested significantly in public goods such as drinking water, empowered other women to express themselves better, reduced corruption, prioritized nutrition outcomes, and transformed the development agenda at the grassroots level.
The protest at Jantar Mantar serves as a powerful reminder of the urgency to address gender imbalance in politics and enact meaningful reforms through the Women’s Reservation Bill. As political parties unite in this call for action, the hopes for a more inclusive and representative democracy stand stronger than ever before.
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