The Congress-led UPA may initially introduce 20 per cent, instead of 33 per cent, reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in a bid to pacify Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh and Sharad Yadav.
This means, 106 seats, instead of 181, out of the total 545 Lok Sabha seats would be reserved for women. This is one of the proposals on which UPA negotiators Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar and the three warring leaders are reportedly trying for a consensus. Lalu, Mulayam and Sharad Yadav are demanding reservations for women from backward classes, OBCs and Muslims.
“I strongly hope a consensus may be arrived at for 20 per cent reservation. However, it is not yet final. We have told Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh and Sharad Yadav that let the bill, which has been passed by the Rajya Sabha, be passed in the Lok Sabha. The government is prepared to hold a dialogue and discuss their point of view,” Pawar told Business Standard on the sidelines of Nationalist Congress Party’s two-day national conference near Pune. He added the bill would be passed in the second half of the ongoing Budget session.
A UPA government functionary, who desired not to be quoted, said another proposal of increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats beyond 545 is being discussed. “There are space constraints in Parliament and if seats have to be increased, balconies in the Lok Sabha will have to be demolished,” he added.
Pawar reiterated his party’s support to the Women’s Reservation Bill and said women need to be empowered. According to him, it is not a good sign that the Lok Sabha has only 11 per cent women representatives. “Equal rights be provided to women, which constitute 50 per cent of the population, in a bid to take India forward. NCP strongly favours an early passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha.”