“Implementation Delayed Until After 2029 Elections Due to Constituency Delimitation Requirement”
Delhi: According to detailed information presented in the Indian Parliament on Tuesday, the historic Women’s Reservation Bill, which was introduced, will only come into effect after the delimitation of constituencies.
This bill, a copy of which is with NDTV, reserves one-third, or 33 percent, of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It is noteworthy that the practice of providing reservation to women started 27 years ago, but it faced numerous hurdles along the way. It should be noted that even if this bill is passed, the implementation of reservations for women will not be possible before the 2029 general elections, as it can only come into effect after the delimitation of constituencies and subsequent population census. The population census has already been conducted, and there is a possibility of it happening in India in 2027.
According to the Women’s Reservation Bill, one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will be directly elected for women through elections. Furthermore, a third of the seats in reserved for women will be specifically allocated to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the list. The provisions of the Women’s Reservation Bill will come into effect after the publication of relevant population figures following the first census after the enactment of the Constitution (128th Amendment) Act, 2023, and will be implemented 15 years after the date of enforcement.
This bill includes reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), but no quota has been provided for other backward classes (OBC) because it is not mandated in the Constitution. This quota will not be applicable in state assemblies, legislative councils, or other legislative bodies.
