Women's quota act: United opposition plans showdown over 2011 Census baseline

The three-day special Parliament session is set to be a stormy affair, with the Centre to push for the passage of amendments required for implementing the Women's Reservation Act, while the opposition will raise the issue of using the 2011 Census as the baseline for delimitation.

Opposition parties, including the AAP, RJD, and DMK, are expected to push for the deferment of the exercise until the 2021 Census data is available. In fact, the Samajwadi Party and the RJD are also likely to raise their long-pending demand for a "quota within quota", sources told India Today. The parties have demanded that OBC women get a quota within the reservation being granted under the proposed law.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam Bill was passed in Parliament in 2023 to reserve one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, as per the legislation, the quota cannot be implemented unless the delimitation exercise is completed after the 2027 Census. It would push the rollout to 2034.

However, the Centre has decided to hasten the process. It has called a special Parliament session from April 16-18 to pass amendments to the legislation that would see the redrawing of constituencies based on the 2011 Census. This will allow the reservation to be rolled out in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.

The amendments will also pave the way for an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816. Out of them, 273 seats will be reserved for women.

INDIA BLOC STRATEGY MEET

To finalise their strategy for the special session, leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi on Wednesday. Even parties like the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, whose states are going to the polls, will participate.

"We will not disclose our strategy today. We will go for the meeting and discuss," TMC MP Derek O'Brien said. He argued that the proposed amendments had little to do with the Women's Reservation Act and were instead focused on delimitation.

The veteran TMC leader also questioned the timing of the session, pointing out that voting in Bengal and Tamil Nadu was just a week away. He asserted that the government lacked the numbers to pass constitutional amendments without Opposition support.

Senior DMK MPs are also expected to attend the opposition strategy meeting.

HOW NUMBERS STACK UP

In the Lok Sabha, the NDA, which has 293 MPs, faces a stern test. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Thus, if all members are present, the amendment bills require at least 364 votes.

In contrast, ordinary bills can be passed with a simple majority of members present and voting. Thus, the opposition is confident of pressuring the government using this leverage.

AAP BACKS OPPOSITION

The AAP, which walked out of the INDIA bloc last year, has backed the opposition's stance.

"Had the government intended, they could have implemented 33% women's reservation right away. It can be done immediately on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats," AAP parliamentary party chief Sanjay Singh told India Today.

"But if you want to truly increase the representation of women in the Parliament, based on their present strength in the country, then the government should wait for the real data to come out. When the Census 2021 is going on, what's the hurry to use old data?" Singh said.

Singh further argued that parliamentary seats are carved out on the basis of population in a specific area. "The baseline of the 2011 Census is not acceptable. Let's wait for the data from the 2021 Census. The number of seats might even touch 1,000 seats."

TDP COUNTERS OPPOSITION

On the other hand, the ruling NDA and its allies are framing the special session as a historic step toward boosting women's representation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Kharge to back the amendments. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said all of its women MPs would attend the session.

"Our women MLAs and MLCs will largely witness the proceedings of the Lok Sabha on April 16. We want to enable them to witness this historic moment. They would go on to meet Union ministers," TDP Lok Sabha leader Harish Balayogi told India Today.

A senior TDP MP said that to clear the delimitation exercise and a couple of other changes, just a basic majority would be needed.

"The constitutional amendment aspect would be required for other changes. Once the proposed amendments are clear to Opposition parties, the number crunching can be looked at," the TDP MP said.

- Ends