India Proposes Assembly Expansion Bill for Women Quotas

Indian Government Bill to Expand Assemblies Fails

An Indian government bill aimed at expanding assemblies by reserving a third of seats for women has failed to pass through parliament. This marks a rare defeat for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Opposition groups criticized the bill, stating they support quotas for women but consider the linking of this plan to a mass redrawing of constituency boundaries as an attempt to manipulate the system and gain more votes. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of using “unconstitutional tricks in the name of women” to break the Constitution.

The government dismissed these allegations, vowing to continue campaigning for women’s quotas. Interior Minister Amit Shah warned that India’s women would not forgive such actions before the bill was put to a vote.

The proposed changes were intended to reflect population shifts since seats were last fixed after the 1971 census. The bill aimed to increase lawmakers in the lower house by around 55% to 850 by the next parliamentary elections, due in 2029, with similar expansions for regional assemblies.

Currently, India’s parliament does not reserve any seats for women, who make up only 14% of the lawmakers in the lower house and 17% in the upper house. Approximately 10% of lawmakers in state legislatures are women.