India’s Parliament has passed a historic legislation reserving 33% of seats in its lower house and state legislatures for women to promote greater gender equality in representation, resolving a 27-year deadlock over the bill due to disagreements among political parties. However, the law won’t apply to the upcoming national elections.
The new law is set to be implemented in the 2029 national elections, following a new census and redrawing of voting districts after next year’s polls, as announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a debate in the upper house of Parliament.
The lower house of Parliament approved the legislation with a decisive vote of 454-2, while the upper house passed it unanimously with a vote of 214-0.
The once-in-a-decade census in India, originally scheduled for 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opposition parties voiced their support for the bill but criticized the delay in its implementation, calling it an injustice to women. They urged for its immediate application in the forthcoming national elections, which are expected to take place before May next year.
Under this legislation, women will be exclusively eligible to contest 33% of seats in the lower house of Parliament and state legislatures, with the reservation lasting for 15 years and the possibility of extension through parliamentary action.
Home Minister Shah noted that previous attempts by three governments since 1996 had failed to pass such legislation.
Despite women comprising over 48% of India’s 1.4 billion population, their representation in Parliament stands at a mere 15.1%, significantly lower than the global average of 24%, as highlighted by Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. In state legislatures across India, women currently occupy only about 10% of the seats.
For decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Congress party have pursued parliamentary measures to address gender imbalance and promote inclusive governance since 1996. Initially, they faced opposition from regional parties, which argued that reserved seats for women would predominantly benefit educated urban elites, leaving less-educated women from rural areas underrepresented.
Over time, resistance to the bill has diminished, giving way to a broader symbolic political narrative where parties prioritize responsiveness to emerging constituencies, such as women, as observed by the Indian Express newspaper.
India is a patriarchal society where women’s work is often undervalued compared to men’s, and men often enjoy greater rights than women.