LI Network
Published on: 30 September 2023 at 00:11 IST
The President of India has granted approval to the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act of 2023, which introduces a 1/3rd reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
This amendment will come into effect on a date designated by the Central Government through an official notification in the Gazette.
The Parliament passed the bill during the recently concluded Special Session, On September 21, the Rajya Sabha unanimously approved the bill, which had received support from two-thirds of the members present and voting in the Lok Sabha on the previous day (with 454 members in favor and 2 opposing).
The Constitution Amendment Bill aims to implement a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lower House of Parliament, state legislatures, and the Delhi legislative assembly.
It is important to note that the women’s reservation will only be enforced after a delimitation exercise is conducted following the first census conducted after the bill’s enactment. This reservation for women will remain in effect for a period of 15 years from its commencement.
The 2023 bill proposes an amendment to Article 239AA (Special provisions with respect to Delhi) and the introduction of three new articles: Articles 330A, 332A, and 334A.
The first two articles seek to introduce a 33 percent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, respectively.
Notably, this reservation is set to be enforced following a delimitation exercise conducted for this purpose after the bill’s enactment, although the sunset clause remains unchanged. Unlike the previous bill, the provisions concerning reservation for the Anglo-Indian community in Articles 331 and 333 have not been altered.