Women quotas: BJP suggests middle path

After a wait of 11 years, the BJP seems to have given up on 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.

It has instead demanded a simple amendment to the Representation of People's Act, 1950, to enjoin upon political parties to give 33 per cent tickets to women.

Party General Secretary Sushma Swaraj said the long years of waiting and lack of political consensus had made the party realise that this was the only way forward.

"There were three proposals, one was the Bill prepared by the Deve Gowda government and later the NDA government, which provided that 33 per cent of the present number of seats be reserved. This raised hackles and there was no political consensus. The second format, proposed by the UPA government, entailed increasing the present strength of the Lok Sabha by 33 per cent. This is impractical as the long delimitation exercise has been just concluded and this model will not work for the next general elections," said Swaraj.

"The third proposal (the BJP's) can be accomplished by a simple amendment to the Representation of People's Act, 1950," she said.

She added though the BJP was committed to 33 per cent reservation in its organisational bodies, no party would give tickets to women in such large numbers unless it was mandatory.

The party would hold a rally at the Ramlila Grounds on this issue on February 22. Swaraj said the Parliamentary Party of the BJP would demand this amendment in the Budget session.

"The Budget session is long and the possibility of the Bill getting cleared is greater," she said.