New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) As the Centre reportedly prepares to introduce two key bills in Parliament to operationalise one-third reservation for women in legislative bodies, female MPs across party lines have welcomed the initiative, highlighting its significance for empowerment and inclusive development in the country.

According to reports, in an effort to build a wider political consensus for amending the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the government is seeking to delink the implementation of women’s reservation from the pending delimitation exercise.

As part of this outreach, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday held discussions with leaders of several non-Congress opposition parties.

The proposed legislative changes include amendments to the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, which had earlier linked the implementation of the quota to the completion of the next Census and the subsequent delimitation of constituencies.

However, with delays in conducting the Census, the government is now considering proceeding on the basis of the 2011 Census data.

Welcoming the move, BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat told IANS, “The Prime Minister has already clarified his stance on the Women’s Reservation Bill and what his vision is for women’s empowerment. But the most encouraging thing is that before making decisions for women’s empowerment, he prepares them.”

“Over the past 10 years, new policies have been introduced to promote women’s development, providing them with new opportunities. Today, women are ready to perform on every platform,” she added.

Shiv Sena(UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also expressed support for the move.

Speaking to IANS, she said, “I welcome this. When the historic Bill was passed before the 2024 elections, women’s reservation was promised till 2029. However, it was linked to the upcoming Census and delimitation exercise. But now, with this amendment, based on the 2011 census, parliamentary seats will increase, and women will finally get their long-pending right, decades overdue, regarding representation, respect, and equality for women.”

JD(U) MP Lovely Anand termed the development a positive step and said, “It is a very nice thing that this is being worked upon. We welcome this step by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take this historic step. One cannot expect the country to move forward if the women are limited to their homes.”

Speaking to IANS, Congress Rajya Sabha member Rajani Patil also backed the initiative, stating, “We welcome this step. Rajiv Gandhi was the father of the women’s reservation. No one can forget it.”

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan told IANS, “The Bill was passed a long time ago. It is very important that this Bill is not limited to papers and is actually implemented on the ground. I am happy that the government is again thinking about this.”

The proposed move is expected to significantly reshape India’s political landscape and reinforce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on women-led development.

If implemented as planned, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha could increase by nearly 50 per cent, rising from the current 543 to 816, with as many as 273 additional seats reserved for women.

This expansion is aimed at ensuring that the new quota does not displace existing members, most of whom are male, while enabling a smoother transition to a more inclusive parliamentary structure.

With the expansion, the majority mark in the Lok Sabha would also increase to 409 seats.

Although the ruling NDA does not currently possess the numbers required to pass the amendment on its own, the government appears keen to push for its approval during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, which is scheduled to conclude on April 4.

–IANS

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