Women’s quota, panchayats to Parliament

The landmark Women’s Reservation Bill — now the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act — that reserves one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women received presidential assent recently. As the first law passed in the new Parliament building during a special session, it portends a new chapter in India’s democratic journey.

It comes on the 30th anniversary of the constitutional reforms that reserved one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women. Since then, there have been multiple unsuccessful attempts to extend women’s reservation to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. While its final enactment is momentous, it is contingent on the conduct of delimitation and census.