India Set to Grant Women 33% Reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies

New Delhi: The Government of India is going to call a special session of Parliament for two days in May next year to make a major amendment in the'Nari Shakti Vandana Act-2023 '. As per the earlier provision, women were to get 33 percent reservation only after a new census and delimitation, but now the government is planning to implement it immediately on the basis of the 2011 census. Before postponing the current session on April 2, the government will make an official announcement about this special session, which will prove to be a turning point for women empowerment in Indian parliamentary history. The bill, pending since 1996, was approved with an unprecedented majority in September 2023, but the conditions for its implementation were constantly questioned by the opposition. Now the government will change the legal framework to give the benefit of reservation without the complicated process of delimitation. This amendment will ensure reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies. This step will end the decades-long wait and ensure women's participation in politics. Strategically, if this amendment is held in the West Bengal-BJP election in 2026, it will prove to be a strong weapon against the Trinamool Congress for women's vote bank in Bengal.