LIVE | Day 4 in Parliament - RS unanimously passes Women's Reservation Bill

A day after the Lok Sabha passed the Women's Reservation Bill, it was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Late in the night, RS unanimously passed the Women's Reservation Bill. All the 215 MPs voted in favour of the bill, with no members voting against it.

Women's Representation Bill being put to vote for passing

MPs have spoken on this Bill in the two Houses... each word spoken during this discussion will guide us moving forward. All MPs have supported this Bill and I express my gratitude to them for this.

All MPs and political parties have played a very important role in this. Women power is not being respected merely because of the passage of this Bill but also because it is being passed unanimously. I urge all MPs once again for a unanimous vote and I thank everyone for their support to this Bill, said PM Modi.

My objection is to Clause 5 which says reservation will only happen after Census and Delimitation. So for implementation, you have placed two conditions. You are taking all credit but I just want an assurance that like all your other promises, this should not be another 'jumla'. The Bill will pass today. Even when we don't support you anyway get Bills passed. Here we are supporting fully. You don't need a Census is my submission, you can do it immediately. Urban bodies, panchayats all have reservations so just do this also based on existing numbers. When you have latest data, you can always readjust the reservation. This Bill doesn't have reservations for backward classes. I know you have data only for SC and ST but OBCs are over 60 percent of the population. Bill will pass today but there are shortcomings, so please correct those shortcomings in the winter session, said Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said, "I offer mine and my party's full support to this Bill though I got to know only two  days ago about it."

A lot of questions were asked about why we are not doing reservation for OBCs. There is no specific provision provided in the Constitution for OBCs, it is only for SCs and STs, said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

KC Venugopal of the Congress said in 1989 when Panchayati Raj bill for reservation of women was moved, the BJP gang opposed it. Fact is that centre-state relations were so strained that time that CMs and state leaders like NT Rama Rao, Karunanidhi, Jyoti Basu, Devi Lal, all opposed it, said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Census may start, in all probability, by early 2024. After that procedure for Delimitation and readjustment of seats can begin, said Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"As far as the implementation of the proposed reservation for women...After the Bill is enacted and after the Bill comes into operation...Whenever the first census takes place and the relevant figures for that census are published, a fresh delimitation exercise shall be… pic.twitter.com/eIaDlV07Wy

— ANI (@ANI) September 21, 2023

It is disheartening to hear some members call this Bill a 'jumla'. It is a convenient word for some people but this is not a jumla. Fact is there are legal requirements of Census, constitution of a Delimitation commission that need to be fulfilled. Once the legal requirements are in place, we can't implement. Delimitation date is frozen till 2026. With these legalities, it is not possible for us to implement this Bill right now. We are not bringing it now for worry of election. It is an article of faith for us. Every time this Bill was brought in the past, the BJP supported it, claimed Sitharaman.