Modi seeks all party support for Women's Reservation Bill

metro india news  I New Delhi

Prime Minister in his 13th Independence Day address to the nation, urged all parties to support the implementation of women's reservation in Parliament and State assemblies without making it a political fight. PM Modi said, "Standing here today beneath the tricolour on the ramparts of the Red Fort, I appeal to and urge all the political parties of the country: come and venerate the women power."

The women reservation, which has been a political flashpoint between the government and the opposition since a delimitation-linked constitution amendment bill was defeated in Parliament Modi said.

"Come forward to honour women and ensure that our mothers and sisters secure 33% representation in the Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha as soon as possible. Let them contribute to shaping India's policies. You may take the credit, you may claim the accolades, but please grant our mothers and sisters their due rights," he said. Modi said the matter has been stuck for 40 years due to political wrangling.

The Prime Minister also said that Maoism has been eliminated from the country. Individuals with Maoist mind set had entrenched themselves within the corridors of power in the country for decades. "We have succeeded in eliminating armed Naxals in the forests and freeing the nation from that crisis but cautioned against lowering the guard, saying armed Naxals may have gone, but dimagi (ideological) naxals are lurking around."

During his 75-minute speech on the country's 80th Independence Day, Modi listed seven streams (saptadharas)—manufacturing, power, agriculture and food processing, technology and innovation, gatishakti, defence power, green economy and blue economy, and soft power—to drive India forward and take the nation to greater heights. "They are employing various tactics to drag society down the wrong path. We must identify these 'Dimagi Naxals.' We need to isolate them and align the nation's youth with the mainstream effort to transform the country into a developed nation," he said. In the past, the Prime Minister has used the term 'urban naxals' for such people.

Women Reservation Bill passed

The Indian Parliament passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in September 2023, marking a major milestone in the decades-long effort to increase women’s representation in legislatures. The legislation, formally the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was later enacted as the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on September 28, 2023.

Popularly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the law provides for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, state legislative assemblies and the Delhi Assembly. It also provides for sub-reservation for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The provision does not extend to the Rajya Sabha or state legislative councils.

The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on September 20, 2023, with 454 members voting in favour and two against. The Rajya Sabha approved it unanimously, with 214 votes in favour, on September 21.

The Act was brought into force through a gazette notification on April 16, 2026. However, the reservation will not immediately translate into reserved seats. Its implementation is linked to a census conducted after 2026 and a subsequent delimitation exercise to redraw constituency boundaries. The reservation will remain in force for 15 years from the date it is implemented, with Parliament empowered to extend the period.

A subsequent 2026 proposal sought to accelerate implementation through changes including the use of 2011 Census data and an increase in Lok Sabha seats, but it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. The 2023 law therefore remains the governing framework.

The legislation represents the culmination of a long political campaign for greater representation of women. Earlier attempts, including a Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, failed to become law.