Sonia Gandhi likely to be lead speaker of Congress on Women’s Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha today

Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, is set to lead the party’s representation during the debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill scheduled for Wednesday.

Yesterday, as she arrived at the old Parliament building, Sonia Gandhi remarked, “It’s ours. Apna hain.”

The Congress party has accused the Central government of taking credit for the Women’s Reservation Bill, which they claim was introduced by their government. Notably, the UPA government, led by Manmohan Singh, tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2008, and it was passed in 2010. However, the Bill was never considered in the Lok Sabha.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the union Cabinet had approved the Women Reservation Bill.

Now, during the five-day special session of Parliament, the crucial bill will be discussed when the House convenes at 11 am on Wednesday.

The Women’s Reservation Bill aims to establish a 33% quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. According to Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal, the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament will increase the number of seats for women in the Lok Sabha to 181.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to introduce three new articles and one new clause in the Constitution.

Under a new clause in 239AA, seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly will be reserved for women, with one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) also being allocated to women, determined by legislation passed by Parliament.

The new Article – 330A outlines the reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, with one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs also being reserved for women.

As per the new Article 332A, reserved seats for women in every state Legislative Assembly will be introduced, with one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs also being allocated to women.

Article 334A, a new addition, specifies that the reservation will come into effect after the delimitation process is carried out following the publication of relevant figures from the first census. The rotation of seats for women will be implemented after each subsequent delimitation exercise.