After more than twenty-five years of attempts, India is on the path to enhancing the presence of women in its lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, and state legislative assemblies. The parliament has passed a bill that reserves one-third of the seats for women in these bodies, excluding the upper house, the Rajya Sabha.
The bill received widespread support, with all 215 members present in the Rajya Sabha and 454 members of the Lok Sabha voting in favor, while only two voted against it. This achievement is being hailed as “historic,” given previous failures to pass such legislation since 1996, primarily due to opposition from regional parties.
However, the implementation of this women’s reservation will occur only after India conducts a census and subsequently redraws parliamentary constituency boundaries. The delay is in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed the scheduled 2021 census. Consequently, the earliest this affirmative action can take effect is during the 2029 elections, leaving the upcoming elections next year still likely to be male-dominated.
Currently, women hold around 13% of parliamentary seats and approximately 10% of seats in state legislatures. Despite the timeline uncertainty, women with political aspirations, like Dolly Verma, a village council head in Bihar state, see this bill’s passage as a step forward, creating opportunities for women to engage more actively in politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government introduced the women’s reservation bill during a five-day special parliamentary session. Modi referred to its passage as a “defining moment” and a continuation of his government’s commitment to “women-led development.” Some political analysts view this move as an attempt to appeal to female voters, who make up more than half of the electorate. Modi’s administration has implemented various programs aimed at women’s welfare, such as providing household toilets and free cooking gas connections.
Opposition parties, while supporting the measure, criticized the delay in its implementation, labeling it a “postdated check” and an injustice to women. The Congress Party leader, Sonia Gandhi, questioned how many years women would have to wait, while another lawmaker called it a “sham” and emphasized the importance of equal rights.
India has seen influential female politicians in its history, such as Indira Gandhi and the current president, Droupadi Murmu. However, many of them were initially part of political families. In recent decades, more women have risen in politics independently, like Mamata Banerjee, the head of West Bengal state.
According to a Pew Research survey in 2022, there is no societal bias against women in politics in India, with half of the respondents stating that “women and men make equally good political leaders.” However, achieving broader political representation for women remains a challenge in India’s predominantly male-dominated society.
India’s efforts to empower women in decision-making began thirty years ago with a law reserving one-third of seats in village councils and urban civic bodies for women. While this measure has had some success in empowering rural women, real power often remains concentrated in male family members’ hands.