Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) 14: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has reiterated its long-standing support for mandatory reservation of one-third seats for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, while strongly opposing the recent proposals linked to delimitation and census processes. The party has called for postponement of the current proposal and wider consultations with all political parties and state governments.
The CPI(M) stated that it had supported the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023 and the 108th Constitutional Amendment, despite opposing the linkage of women’s reservation to the census and delimitation exercise. The party maintained that it backed the Bill in principle due to its commitment to ensuring one-third representation for women in legislative bodies.
According to the party, its position in 2023 was clear that linking women’s reservation to census and delimitation would result in significant delays, effectively denying women their constitutional right to one-third representation not only in the 2024 elections but also in the 2029 General Elections.
The CPI(M) has now said that after two years, neither a Delimitation Commission has been constituted nor has the census process begun as previously indicated. It alleged that the Union government has introduced new proposals without engaging in discussions with opposition parties, despite repeated demands for an all-party meeting.
The party termed the timing of the proposal as unacceptable, stating that it has been brought forward during a period of state assembly elections with what it described as narrow electoral considerations. It further argued that such decisions require broader consultation rather than being advanced unilaterally.
The CPI(M) also raised concerns over what it described as a fresh linkage being introduced between women’s reservation and an increase in the total number of parliamentary and assembly seats through a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 census. The party said this raises multiple constitutional and political questions that cannot be decided without consultation with all states.
It has demanded that the proposal be deferred to allow comprehensive discussions with all political stakeholders and state governments regarding the implications of expanding the number of legislative seats. The party stressed that such structural changes require consensus due to their long-term impact on federal representation.
Reiterating its stance, the CPI(M) said that women’s reservation could be implemented from the 2029 General Elections within the existing framework, but only if it is delinked from census and delimitation processes through a constitutional amendment. It argued that the current approach delays implementation and undermines the objective of timely representation.
The party further stated that the absence of political will on the part of the Union government is preventing effective implementation of women’s reservation in its intended form.
The issue is expected to remain a point of political debate as discussions continue over the timing, structure, and implementation framework of women’s reservation in legislative bodies across the country.
