A coalition of women’s organisations and civil society groups has urged the Centre to introduce a Constitutional Amendment Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament to delink women’s reservation from the Census and delimitation process.
Under the banner of the National Coalition for Women’s Reservation (NCWR), the groups demanded that the 33% reservation in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies be implemented at the existing strength from the next round of elections instead of waiting for delimitation.
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The demand comes nearly three years after Parliament passed the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. The law provides 33% reservation for women but links its implementation to the first Census conducted after the Act and the subsequent delimitation exercise.
The coalition announced a nationwide campaign to pressure the government into implementing the law without further delay. Joint protests will be held across the country on July 20 and 21, followed by daily demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar throughout the Monsoon Session. Similar protests are also planned in states and districts.
The coalition will also organise a national conference involving women MPs, conduct webinars and launch a social media campaign to mobilise public support.
In a joint statement, the signatories accused the government of using women’s reservation to advance its political agenda on delimitation instead of ensuring immediate representation for women.
Prominent signatories include actor Sharmila Tagore, dancer Mallika Sarabhai, political scientist Zoya Hasan, economist Jayati Ghosh and activist Nandini Sundar.
Activist Anjali Bharadwaj of Satark Nagrik Sangathan said women should not be used to push through the contentious delimitation exercise, urging the government to implement the reservation without attaching additional conditions.
