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Women's Quota to Start in 2029 Polls, Says Fadnavis, Citing Delimitation Fix

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the Women's Reservation Bill has been amended to ensure its implementation by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, avoiding a potential delay until 2039. He explained that using 2011 Census data for delimitation, instead of waiting for the delayed current census, is the key procedural fix. Fadnavis accused some opposition parties of opposing the delimitation process, which he claims is a covert way of blocking the reservation itself. He predicted that women's representation could reach nearly 40% in the next Lok Sabha, exceeding the mandated 33% quota.

Key Points: Women's Reservation to Take Effect from 2029 Lok Sabha Elections

  • Bill amendments prevent indefinite delay
  • 2011 Census data to be used for delimitation
  • Implementation set for 2029 Lok Sabha polls
  • Opposition accused of resisting delimitation
  • Expected to exceed 33% quota target
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Women's quota to take effect from 2029 Lok Sabha polls, says Maha CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis explains how amendments will implement the women's quota by 2029, using 2011 census data to avoid further delays.

"women's reservation will come into effect in the 2029 general elections and will not be pushed further - Devendra Fadnavis"

Mumbai, April 15

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that amendments to the Women's Reservation Bill were necessitated to ensure the timely implementation of the law, as delays in conducting the Census had disrupted the delimitation schedule.

"As everyone knows, the Census process was delayed, and because of this, the delimitation schedule was also disturbed. In such a situation, women's reservation could have been delayed to 2034 or even 2039. Had there been no political will, the delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic could have been cited to postpone implementation indefinitely," CM Fadnavis said. He was speaking at an event here to discuss the proposed Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

"It has now been decided that delimitation will be completed within a year, and the 2011 Census figures will be used so that there is no need to wait for the current Census to conclude. Because of these changes, women's reservation will come into effect in the 2029 general elections and will not be pushed further," he added.

He alleged that some opposition parties were resisting delimitation despite claiming to support the reservation law. "They say they are not opposing the Women's Reservation Bill but are opposing delimitation. They know that if delimitation is not implemented, then women's reservation cannot be implemented. Such people are, in fact, opposing women's representation," CM Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the changes would significantly enhance women's representation in Parliament and state legislatures, adding that the impact of the reservation policy would be visible from the 2029 general elections. "Although the reservation Bill offers 33 per cent quota, you mark my words, nearly 40 per cent of the strength in the next Lok Sabha will be of women. Their voice will gain momentum," he said.

Further, the Chief Minister said that there were capable women officers in the state administration but their opportunities had been denied earlier. "Since our government came to power in Maharashtra, there are women officials who have served in posts such as Chief Secretary, Forest Chief, Director General of Police and now BMC Commissioner. They were capable and earned those posts on their merit," he remarked.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good move by the government to find a practical solution. The opposition's contradictory stance is confusing - you can't support the bill but block the process needed to implement it. This will be a game-changer for Indian democracy.
A
Anjali F
While I welcome the decision, 2029 feels like kicking the can down the road. Why not implement it in the 2024 elections itself? We've been discussing women's reservation for decades. This "political will" should have been shown much earlier.
S
Siddharth J
The CM makes a valid point about capable women in administration. We have seen excellent women IAS and IPS officers. If they can run complex departments, they can certainly be great MPs and MLAs. Looking forward to 2029!
M
Meera T
Hope this reservation leads to real empowerment and not just ticket distribution to wives and daughters of established politicians. We need genuine women leaders who understand ground realities. The next five years should be used to nurture such leadership at the grassroots.
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Karthik V
Using 2011 data for delimitation is pragmatic, but it also means constituencies with major population shifts since then won't be accurately reflected. It's a trade-off, but probably worth it to get women's reservation moving. Better late than never.

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