An election-eve gambit

The Cabinet approved a draft amendment bill to operationalise the Women's Reservation Act ahead of schedule, potentially bringing it into effect before the 2029 general elections

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Whose idea?

Apparently, an idea germinated in the minds of the higher echelons of the BJP that some controversy must be sparked before the large states of Tamil Nadu (234 seats) and West Bengal (294 seats) went to polls. The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs was instructed to broach the subject of “implementation of the Constitution 106th Amendment Act” to Mr Mallikarjun Kharge. The Amendment was passed by Parliament in September 2023, and was ignored by the government for 30 months. Suddenly, the government woke up. There was an exchange of letters between the Minister and the Opposition parties. Mr Kharge suggested an All-Party meeting after April 29. The Minister’s letter of March 26 is both interesting and intriguing: he said “such a timeline will delay the implementation of women’s reservation in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies” and “may adversely impact the feasibility of implementing the provisions of the Act in time for the 2029 General Election”. This is pure baloney. April 16 and April 29 would make no difference.