The historic Women’s Reservation Bill has been approved in both houses of Parliament during a special session and has now become a law with President Droupadi Murmu’s assent. This new law ensures that women will have a 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament) and State Assemblies. However, it won’t apply during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but will take effect after the next census and the subsequent delimitation exercise.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed this news, stating, “With President Droupadi Murmu’s approval of the historic ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act-2023,’ this Bill has become an important law in India.” The Bill was introduced by Meghwal in the Lok Sabha on September 19 and was passed by the Rajya Sabha on September 21.
After receiving the President’s assent, the bill will be officially named the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act. The exact date it will come into force will be determined by the central government through an official notification. Importantly, this bill does not require approval from the states because it doesn’t change the number of seats each state has in Parliament, so the overall representation remains the same.
Although some might argue that the women’s reservation Bill should have been ratified by at least 50% of the states because it mandates changes in the composition of each Assembly constituency, there doesn’t seem to be any opposition on this issue. This move suggests that the government has no immediate plans to implement this change, possibly not until 2034, as they are not pursuing state ratification at this time, according to Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi.