Mumbai, April 15 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill were necessitated to ensure the timely implementation of the law, as delays in conducting the Census had disrupted the delimitation schedule.

“As everyone knows, the Census process was delayed, and because of this, the delimitation schedule was also disturbed. In such a situation, women’s reservation could have been delayed to 2034 or even 2039. Had there been no political will, the delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic could have been cited to postpone implementation indefinitely,” CM Fadnavis said. He was speaking at an event here to discuss the proposed Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

“It has now been decided that delimitation will be completed within a year, and the 2011 Census figures will be used so that there is no need to wait for the current Census to conclude. Because of these changes, women’s reservation will come into effect in the 2029 general elections and will not be pushed further,” he added.

He alleged that some opposition parties were resisting delimitation despite claiming to support the reservation law. “They say they are not opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill but are opposing delimitation. They know that if delimitation is not implemented, then women’s reservation cannot be implemented. Such people are, in fact, opposing women’s representation,” CM Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the changes would significantly enhance women’s representation in Parliament and state legislatures, adding that the impact of the reservation policy would be visible from the 2029 general elections. “Although the reservation Bill offers 33 per cent quota, you mark my words, nearly 40 per cent of the strength in the next Lok Sabha will be of women. Their voice will gain momentum,” he said.

Further, the Chief Minister said that there were capable women officers in the state administration but their opportunities had been denied earlier. “Since our government came to power in Maharashtra, there are women officials who have served in posts such as Chief Secretary, Forest Chief, Director General of Police and now BMC Commissioner. They were capable and earned those posts on their merit,” he remarked.

–IANS

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