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In India, a third of lawmakers will soon be women. Is it ‘historic’ or an empty gesture?

  • India is set to pass the long-pending bill on Friday but critics caution that it could be an empty gesture bogged by delayed implementation
  • The revival of the bill comes months before general elections are due by May 2024 when PM Narendra Modi seeks a third term

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting MPs in the Old Parliament building in New Delhi. The revival of the bill comes months before general elections are due by May 2024 when Modi seeks a third term. Photo: AFP Indian Press Information Bureau
India is set to pass a long-pending bill to ensure women will make up one in three lawmakers, a move Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as “historic” but has been described by critics as an empty gesture that won’t be implemented soon.
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The Women’s Reservation Bill, first mooted in 1996 to ensure women are represented at the federal and state levels, was presented to the lower house on Tuesday and welcomed by politicians across the spectrum in a rare moment of unity.

While the bill will transform the face of the traditionally male-dominated parliament after it is approved on Friday as expected, it may not come into force before the 2024 general election as it needs the redrawing of constituencies based on fresh census numbers, which may take years to conduct. The once-in-a-decade census was due to be completed in 2021 but was delayed because of the pandemic.

Women walk past India’s new parliament in New Delhi. Women make up almost half of India’s 950 million registered voters. Photo: Reuters
Women walk past India’s new parliament in New Delhi. Women make up almost half of India’s 950 million registered voters. Photo: Reuters

“We want more and more women to join the development process of the country,” Modi said during a five-day special session that began on Monday.

Critics of Modi say the revival of the bill is designed to reach out to a critical voting bloc as he seeks a third term in the next polls.

“Modi will get all the applause and will not have to do anything for the long foreseeable future,” said Yogendra Yadav, an activist and a political analyst. When you tie the reservation with the census, you have postponed it by five years at least, he said.

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Still, others have said the move is a sign of progress, considering the way the bill was first received three decades ago. Back then, some politicians had said there were not enough talented women to fill 33 per cent of seats.

Indian lawmakers in line to enter the parliament building in New Delhi. India’s female representation in parliament remains among the lowest in the Group of 20 economies. Photo: AP
Indian lawmakers in line to enter the parliament building in New Delhi. India’s female representation in parliament remains among the lowest in the Group of 20 economies. Photo: AP
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