Mumbai, April 15: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Wednesday that amendments to the Women’s Reservation Bill are essential for timely implementation of the law. The delay in the census has disrupted the delimitation schedule, he explained.
Fadnavis stated that due to the delays in the census process, the delimitation schedule was also affected. In such circumstances, women’s reservation could have been postponed until 2034 or even 2039. He emphasized that without political will, the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could have been used as an excuse to indefinitely postpone the implementation. He made these remarks during a discussion on the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Act’ at an event.
He confirmed that the delimitation process will be completed within a year, utilizing data from the 2011 census to avoid waiting for the current census results. As a result of these changes, women’s reservation will be implemented starting with the 2029 general elections and will not be delayed further.
Fadnavis accused some opposition parties of claiming to support the reservation law while opposing delimitation. “They say they are not against the Women’s Reservation Bill but are opposing delimitation. They know that if delimitation does not occur, women’s reservation cannot be implemented either. Such individuals are essentially opposing women’s representation,” he asserted.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that these changes will significantly increase women’s representation in Parliament and state assemblies. He added that the impact of the reservation policy will be evident from the 2029 general elections. “Although the reservation bill provides for a 33 percent quota, remember this: in the next Lok Sabha, nearly 40 percent of the members will be women. Their voices will gain even more strength,” he concluded.
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