Women's Reservation Bill Does Not Need Ratification By States

The Women's Reservation Bill will not need a sign-off by states if it is passed in parliament with a special majority. Under Article 368 of the Indian Constitution, a special majority requires two-thirds of the members present and voting to support a bill, as well as more than half of the total members of the House.

The Women's Reservation Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha yesterday, seeks the reservation of 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Earlier, some reports claimed that under the provisions of Article 368, the Constitution amendment bill will require ratification by at least 50 per cent of the states.

However, the women's quota bill has been brought under a rule that requires a special majority but no ratification by states. That is because according to the government, reservation of seats for women does not affect the representation of states in parliament.

The approval by states would be needed for subjects like the presidential election, the Supreme Court or High Court or Centre-State relations. The last bill to become law after being cleared by parliament and half the states of the country was the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. 

The UPA government led by Manmohan Singh introduced the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha in 2008, where it was passed in 2010. However, the Bill never reached the Lok Sabha for consideration. The Bill was also one of the key campaign promises made by the BJP in the run-up to both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The proposed Women's Reservation Bill promises a 33% quota for women in Parliament and state legislatures, but this may not come into effect until 2029, NDTV has learnt.

The women's quota can only be implemented after the first delimitation, or redrawing of constituencies, following the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. This is likely to take place in 2027, as delimitation is only conducted after the next census.