INDIA bloc to meet ahead of discussion on Women's Quota Bill in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the discussion on the Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha on the third day of the ongoing Parliament special session, floor leaders of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will hold a meeting to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the house. The meeting will be held at the office of Rajya Sabha leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament.

The five-day special session of the Parliament began on Monday and will end on Friday.

The Lok Sabha is set to discuss the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill which was tabled by Centre for discussion at 11 am today, after the proceedings of the House start. The 128th Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2023 seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats in Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies for women.

According to the sources, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi is likely to be the lead speaker from her party for the debate as the Lok Sabha takes up the Women's Quota Bill for discussion. The Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet on Monday. On Tuesday, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the bill in the first sitting of Lok Sabha in the new Parliament building.

The bill has been named Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

In 2008, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, and it was passed in 2010. However, the Bill was never taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha.

Introducing the bill in the house yesterday, Meghwal said "This bill is in relation to women empowerment. By amending Article 239AA of the Constitution, 33 per cent of seats will be reserved for women in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. Article 330A reservations of seats for SC/ST in the House of People."

Meghwal also said that once the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is passed, the number of seats for women in Lok Sabha will increase to 181. The Bill will be taken up in Rajya Sabha on September 21, government sources said. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to introduce three new articles and one new clause in the Constitution.

Under a new clause in 239AA, seats shall be reserved for women in the Delhi Legislative Assembly, one-third of the seats reserved for SCs shall be reserved for women, one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct elections shall be reserved for women through law determined by parliament.

Under the new Article - 330A, reservation for women in Lok Sabha – one-third of seats reserved for SCs and STs shall be reserved for women, one-third of total seats to be filled by direct elections to the Lok Sabha shall be reserved for women.

As per the new article 332A, the reserved seats for women in every state Legislative Assembly, one-third of seats reserved for SCs and STs shall be reserved for women, one-third of total seats to be filled by direct elections to the LA shall be reserved for women.

334A, a new article says that reservation shall come into effect after the delimitation is undertaken after the relevant figures for the first census have been published. The rotation of seats for women shall take effect after each subsequent exercise of delimitation.