Lucknow, April 15 (IANS) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday came out in support of the Women’s Reservation Bill, paving way for their greater representation in legislative bodies and demanded stronger safeguards for those belonging to marginalised communities.

Addressing a press conference, Mayawati said, “Just like the weaker sections, atrocities, exploitation, and oppression against women continue unabated. Shameful incidents are still not stopping. That is why our party, the BSP, has been continuously demanding 50 per cent reservation for women of all communities in the country based on their population. However, no political party is willing to accept this due to their own selfish interests and compulsions…Thanks to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who ensured the right to vote and equality for all women, he empowered women and strengthened democracy. We are forever in debt to him..”

“Now, in this context, the process of giving 33 per cent reservation to women in the country’s Parliament and state legislative assemblies – even after a long wait – our party welcomes the move to take it forward. Even though there has been a lot of delay, our party still welcomes it…” she added.

She further emphasised the need for inclusion of marginalised women within the proposed framework, saying, “SC, ST and OBC women, if they get reservation separately, then this bill will be more appropriate and it would have been historic.”

Her remarks come at a time when the Centre is actively pushing ahead with the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Constitutional Amendment Bill, which aims to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

The Centre has convened a special three-day session of Parliament from April 16 to 18 to advance constitutional amendments that would enable 33 per cent reservation for women before 2029, instead of linking it to the post-2026 Census delimitation process.

The proposal seeks to expand the Lok Sabha strength from 543 to around 850 seats, reserving one-third for women. Although the Women’s Reservation Act was passed in 2023, its implementation has been delayed due to pending delimitation and census-related procedures.

The bill, however, has also sparked political debate, with several parties, including Tamil Nadu’s DMK under MK Stalin, demanding that the reservations for women be delinked from the delimitation drive.

–IANS

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