Women's Reservation, Delimitation Bills Likely to Be Passed in Monsoon Session: Athawale

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has reportedly said that the NDA government is confident of passing the Women's Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad on Wednesday, he reportedly said the ruling alliance now has the required two-thirds majority to approve the Constitution amendment bills. He also said that if the Women's Reservation Bill is passed, women will get 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha from the 2029 general elections.

Athawale also said that the same bills could not be passed in the previous Parliament session because several opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC), voted against them. He claimed the political situation has now changed, with some MPs from TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) supporting the NDA, while the DMK has separated from the Congress. He appealed to all political parties to support the bills in the national interest.

• The NDA says it now has the required two-thirds majority in Parliament.
• The Women's Reservation Bill aims to provide 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.
• The reservation is expected to take effect from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections if the bill becomes law.
• The Delimitation Bill proposes redrawing parliamentary constituencies and increasing Lok Sabha seats based on population changes.
• Athawale urged the Congress and other opposition parties to support both bills.

“Delimitation is an important constitutional process and is generally carried out after a long gap to ensure fair representation based on changes in population”, Athawale said. Increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats and redrawing constituency boundaries would help improve representation across the country. According to him, both bills are necessary for strengthening India's democratic system.

During the extended sitting of Parliament on April 17, the Constitution amendment bill related to women's reservation and the increase in Lok Sabha seats failed to pass in the Lok Sabha as per reports. Although 298 MPs voted in favour and 230 voted against it, the bill needed at least 352 votes to secure the required two-thirds majority. With the Monsoon Session approaching, the government is expected to make another attempt to pass the bills.