The Women’s Reservation Bill once again faced a litmus test in the Parliament; with the rare case of the NDA government and opposition INDIA alliance both being in favour of the bill. The new rule seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies.

With 20 votes, the Women’s Reservation Bill was finally passed by the Lok Sabha after being introduced in the system 27 years ago. However, it is likely to take several years for the central government to implement this Nari Shakti Vandana Act.

There were only two votes cast against the bill, one of which was AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Meanwhile, the Opposition is seeking the immediate implementation of the bill, urging the government not to delay it till 2029.

Reason behind one-third reservation for women in Parliament

A common question that arose during the Women’s Reservation Bill discussion was why not seek 50 percent quota, and settle for 33 percent reservation in the Parliament seats. The most common reason is the impact it can have on decision making.

While India has over 48 percent of female population, the percentage of educated females is less than that of men. This means that there can be a major impact on decision-making, and there is a lack of powerful female politicians in the country.

Further, due to lack of gender equality in several rural areas of the country, there is a lack of trust for female politicians. 50 percent reservation of seats for female MPs can thus lead to an imbalance in the political scenario of the country.

Many research has shown that when the presence of women in the total number of institutions starts increasing by more than one-third, it starts to have an impact. This is why as a starting point, the Indian government has settled for 33 percent reservation for women in the Parliament.

Source : DNA India