DMK MP Moves Private Bill For Immediate Implementation Of Women's Reservation, Seeks Postponing Delimitation By 25 Years

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Rajya Sabha MP Wilson has introduced a private bill seeking immediate implementation of women's reservation in the parliament, legislative assemblies of the State, etc, without linking it to the delimitation exercise. Wilson has also sought postponement of the delimitation process for a period of 25 years, till 2051. The objects of the bill are stated to be as follows: (i) the immediate implementation of women's reservation in the House of the People and State Legislative Assemblies within the existing strength of seats, without awaiting delimitation or Census; (ii) the extension of the freeze on delimitation for a further period until 2051 and further consensus has been reached by state , in order to preserve federal balance and avoid penalising States that have effectively implemented population stabilisation measures; In the statement of objects and reasons, Wilson pointed out that though delimitation exercises were conducted previously for ensuring equality of representation on the basis of population, over time, significant demographic imbalances began to emerge between States. It was submitted that the delimitation process was frozen to preserve federal equity and ensure that progressive States were not disadvantaged in national representation. Wilson also pointed out that any reallocation of seats based on post-2026 population data would lead to a disproportionate shift in political representation, effectively rewarding higher population growth and disadvantaging States that have fulfilled national commitments on population stabilisation. “In a federal polity founded on the principles of cooperative federalism and political fairness, the reallocation of seats in Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies has far-reaching implications for the distribution of political power within the Union. It is therefore imperative that any such exercise commands broad-based consensus among the States,” Wilson said. Thus, through the private bill, Wilson has sought to postpone the delimitation process by a further period of 25 years to allow the total fertility rate and population growth to stabilise in all parts of the country. Wilson further pointed out that by linking the women's reservation to the delimitation exercise, the implementation of the reservation would be indefinitely postponed, thereby defeating the very objective of the ensuring timely and meaningful political representation for women. Wilson also pointed out that the amendment restricts the reservation for women to a period of 15 years, treating it as a temporary measure rather than a structural necessity in a constitutional democracy. Wilson has thus proposed reservation for women in the House of the People, the Legislative Assembly of a State, the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Puducherry and the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir immediately upon the expiry of the present term of the respective Houses within their existing strength, and without awaiting delimitation or census. “If the Government is really serious about implementing women's reservations which has already been enacted by the Parliament vide Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, there is no need to link it to delimitation or census. It can be implemented straightaway in the current strength of the House, after the expiry of the term of the House,” the bill states. Wilson thus states that the proposed amendments seeks to achieve a balances constitutional objective – safeguarding federal equity by making any reallocation of seats subject to the collective will of the States, ad advancing social justice and gender justice by ensuring the immediate implementation of women's reservation without procedural impediments.

DMK MP Moves Private Bill For Immediate Implementation Of Women's Reservation, Seeks Postponing Delimitation By 25 Years

Upasana Sajeev

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