Women’s Reservation in India: A Milestone for Gender Justice and Democratic Equality?

Abstract

India granted 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, excluding the Rajya Sabha and state legislative councils, through the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Ministry of Law and Justice, 2023). This achievement followed decades of political struggle and repeated failures to institutionalise gender justice in legislative bodies. The Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996 by the United Front Government led by Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. Still, it collapsed amid disagreements among coalition partners and the subsequent dissolution of the Lok Sabha (Rai, 1999). Later, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee attempted twice—in 1998 and 1999—but was unable to secure passage. The United Progressive Alliance government under Dr Manmohan Singh also introduced the bill. Though it was approved in the Rajya Sabha, persistent differences among allies prevented its clearance in the Lok Sabha (Rajya Sabha Debates, 2010).

The breakthrough came in 2023 when the Modi government successfully steered the bill through both Houses of Parliament. Symbolically titled Nari Shakti Vandana Abhiyan—a salute to women—it signalled the government’s commitment to ensuring one-third reservation for women in representative bodies (Lok Sabha Debates, 2023). However, the Act’s implementation is conditional: it will come into force only after the 2026 census and the subsequent delimitation exercise. In this sense, the legislation has been compared to a “post-dated cheque,” embodying both a historic milestone and a deferred promise. The lengthy and contentious trajectory of the bill highlights the complexities of coalition politics and the protracted struggle for women’s political empowerment in India.