Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed on Tuesday the Cabinet had agreed and accepted a Bill to save one-third of seats in the Lower House of Parliament and state assemblies for women, reviving an appeal that was not touched for many many years and no decision was being taken regarding this matter. Finally the decision has been taken and this has been approved. The declaration by Mr Modi during an extraordinary session of Parliament comes eight months before general elections are due by May 2024.
“There have been several conversations in the past related to women’s reservation… and I request to lawmakers to be supportive to the Bill,” Mr Modi revealed in the Lower House of the Parliament. The Bill requires to be agreed on by Parliament and state assemblies to be a part of the law. Women account for around half of India’s 950 million registered voters but make up only 15 per cent of Parliament and around 10 per cent of state legislatures, resulting in the world’s hugest democracy to become the bottom of the global list on gender parity in legislatures.