Members of the National Coalition for Women’s Reservation-Karnataka demanded immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act by removing it from census and delimitation.
The members condemned the delay in ensuring equal political representation for women and demanded that the government take steps to implement the law during the monsoon session.
“The 2023 legislation introduced as Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam has failed to translate this promise into reality. By linking implementation to a future census and delimitation exercise, the government has effectively halted women’s political representation indefinitely,” the coalition said in a statement.
Jyothi A. of NFIW pointed out that the demand for women’s reservation has been going on for three decades and questioned the need to link it with census and delimitation.
“Development is not possible without equal political representation of women who constitute 50% of the population. Narendra Modi promised to pass the law soon after he became the prime minister. It has been more than a decade since he came to power. The law is still waiting to be implemented,” said Devi of AIDWA.
The Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced in 1996 as a private member’s bill. Although introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2010, it was not introduced in the Lok Sabha and lapsed in 2014. When it was reintroduced and passed in 2023, it contained a clause linking implementation to a future census and delimitation exercise. This essentially meant that the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies would come into effect only after the first census conducted after the Act and the subsequent delimitation exercise based on that census.
The Union government recently tried to pass a legislative package related to delimitation, which is said to be aimed at expediting the Women’s Reservation Act. However, the bill was rejected in parliament.
Over the past two months, the coalition has intensified nationwide mobilization through petition campaigns and public initiatives calling for the introduction of a 33% reservation for women in parliament and state legislatures.
Aasha Ramesh of Vimochan pointed out that even the 2023 Bill covered reservation for women only in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, leaving out the Rajya Sabha and state representative councils. Shilpa Prasad of AIPWA, Celin Thomas of ICWM, Dorcas Pearl Sudeep of YWCA Bengaluru and Leila Passah, a development professional, spoke at the event.
Published – 13 May 2026 21:01 IST
