Women Reservation Bill: What is it, and what is the political history?

On March 10, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha sat on a six-hour hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to seek the early passage of the pending Women's Reservation Bill.

The protest was inaugurated by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury. Several political parties participated in the protest, including the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).

Following the protest, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it was "preposterous" and termed it a plan to alter the narrative on the Delhi excise case.

What is the history of political reservation for women?

The issue of political reservation for women can be traced back to the Indian national movement. In 1931, leaders Begum Shah Nawaz and Sarojini Naidu wrote a letter to the British Prime Minister stating: "To seek any form of preferential treatment would be to violate the integrity of the universal demand of Indian women for absolute equality of political status."

In 1947, freedom fighter Renuka Ray said, "We always held that when the men who have fought and struggled for their country's freedom came to power, the rights and liberties of women too would be guaranteed..." In 1971, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in India discussed the receding political representation of women in India. Many committee members were against reservation for women in legislative bodies but supported reservation for women in local bodies. Following this, many states nationwide announced reservations for women in local bodies.

In 1988, the National Perspective Plan for Women recommended that reservations be provided to women from the Panchayat level to that of the Parliament. This led to the enactment of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution, which mandate all State governments to reserve one-third of the seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions and one-third of the offices of the chairperson at all levels of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and in urban local bodies. Within these seats, one-third are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women.

States such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Chhattisgarh have made provisions to ensure 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies.

What is the Women's Reservation Bill?

Under the Women's Reservation Bill, 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies will be reserved for women. It was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in 1996 as the 81st Amendment Bill by the Deve Gowda-led United Front government. However, the bill failed to get the approval of the House and was lapsed.

In 1998, the bill was reintroduced again in the Lok Sabha by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, but it failed to get support and lapsed again. It was reintroduced in 1999, 2002, and 2003 but failed to receive majority votes.

In 2008, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government tabled the bill in the Rajya Sabha, and it was passed with 186-1 votes. However, it was not taken up for consideration in the Lok Sabha, and it again lapsed. In 2014 and 2019, the BJP promised 33 per cent reservation for women in its manifesto.

What are the arguments for the bill?

One of the key arguments in favour of the bill states that affirmative action is needed to better the condition of women in Indian society.

Women in India are still under-represented in the Parliament, and the bill will ensure they get an opportunity to form a strong lobby in the Parliament.

Another key argument is that women's representation is needed in decision-making to address issues such as the high percentage of crimes against women, low participation of women in the workforce, low nutrition levels, and a skewed sex ratio.

What are the arguments against the bill?

One of the key arguments against the bill is that women are not a homogeneous community, such as a caste group. Therefore, the arguments made for caste-based reservations cannot be made for women.

Another argument states that reserving seats for women would violate the Constitution's guarantee of equality. Thus, if there is a reserve, women would not compete on merit, which in turn could decrease their status in society.

Another argument against the bill states that as men hold primary power and key positions in Indian politics, bringing women into politics could destroy the "ideal family".

How many women are in the Parliament?

Around 14 per cent of the members of the Indian Parliament are women. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an international organisation of national parliaments, India has a lower percentage of women in the lower House than Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

The percentage of women MLAs)across all state Assemblies in India is less, with the national average being nine per cent.

What are the criteria to evaluate women's participation in Indian politics?

Women as voters

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, almost as many women as men cast ballots, dubbed a "quiet revolution of self-empowerment."

Women as candidates

Less than nine per cent of the 8,049 candidates running in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were female.