Women's Groups Demand Immediate 33% Reservation in Parliament, Delink from Census

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament beginning July 20, a coalition of women's organisations and activists has demanded the “unconditional and immediate” implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies at the current strength, starting from the next round of elections.

The group, operating under the banner of the National Coalition for Women’s Reservation, has urged the government to introduce a Constitutional Amendment Bill in the upcoming session to delink women's reservation from the processes of census and delimitation. They have also called on opposition parties to support the demand and raise it in Parliament.

The coalition is reaching out to Members of Parliament in their constituencies to seek support. It has announced joint demonstrations across the country on July 20-21, and daily sit-ins from Monday to Friday throughout the monsoon session at Jantar Mantar in the capital. A national conference with women MPs is also planned.

Organisations involved include the All India Democratic Women’s Association, National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), YWCA, Indian Christian Women’s Movement, All India Progressive Women’s Association, Unity In Compassion, ANHAD, and activists such as Anjali Bharadwaj of Satark Nagrik Sangathan.

A statement issued by the coalition has been endorsed by over 1,500 signatories, including activists, lawyers, academics, students, former civil servants, and concerned citizens.

At a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Annie Raja of NFIW said: “Women’s right to political representation cannot be indefinitely postponed by linking it to unrelated and politically contentious processes like delimitation or increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha.” She urged opposition parties to forcefully demand that the government bring a bill to delink reservation from census and delimitation.

Transparency activist Anjali Bharadwaj emphasised the need for transparency and questioned the government's intentions behind linking reservation with delimitation.

The coalition noted that the demand for 33% reservation has been part of the national women's movement for decades. The first bill was introduced in 1996. The Women’s Reservation Act (Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) was passed in 2023 but linked implementation to the completion of census and delimitation.

“It is a matter of shame that less than 14% of MPs are women, and the figure across state assemblies is even lower at 10%,” the coalition stated. It added that if the condition had not been imposed, 33% of MPs in the current Lok Sabha would have been women.

The coalition accused the government of using women’s reservation as a front to push its political agenda of delimitation and increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats. It pointed to a special session in 2026 that ostensibly aimed to pave the way for 33% reservation from 2029 but instead linked it to these processes.