Raipur, Apr 30 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution seeking immediate implementation of one-third reservation for women in Parliament and all state legislative assemblies after completion of the delimitation process, following an over nine-hour-long debate marked by sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches.
The resolution, tabled by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai during a one-day special session, was adopted while the opposition Congress boycotted the proceedings.
The resolution stated that, for women’s dignity, overall development and empowerment, one-third reservation in the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies should be implemented immediately after delimitation exercise.
Taking part in the debate, Sai said the “double-engine government” is firmly committed to ensuring the dignity and empowerment of women.
Ensuring one-third reservation for women in Parliament and all state legislative assemblies is a crucial step towards their dignity, holistic development and empowerment, he said.
He noted that the initiative would not only strengthen women’s participation in democratic institutions but also infuse new momentum towards equal opportunities and balanced representation in society.
Sai said the initiative to provide 33% reservation to women in the Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha was undertaken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji.
“Everyone knows that a women’s reservation bill had been passed in 2023, but the recent amendment bill was introduced in Parliament to ensure that our mothers and sisters receive their rightful 33% share in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but, the opposition prevented this amendment bill from being passed,” he said.
Sai said women across the country had high expectations that the amendment would be cleared in the special session of Lok Sabha, but opposition parties opposed it on the grounds of delimitation and census, which is “hard to understand.” Arguing in favour of delimitation, Sai said it would expand constituencies and increase representation.
He further said there would be no reduction of seats in any region due to delimitation, including southern states, and alleged that the opposition historically lacked intent to implement women’s reservation.
The Chief Minister urged opposition members to pass the resolution unanimously, saying it could help reduce public anger against them over the issue.
“You are only concerned about your ‘yuvraj’ (apparently referring to Rahul Gandhi)..,” he said.
Sai also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prioritising women’s empowerment through flagship schemes like Ujjwala, Jan Dhan and Sukanya Samriddhi.
The Chhattisgarh government has been observing 2026 as “Mahtari Gaurav Varsh” and running schemes such as monthly financial assistance to around 69 lakh women under the Mahtari Vandan, the CM said.
Reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions in the state was increased from 33 per cent to 50 per cent during the earlier Raman Singh-led BJP government in the state, he noted.
Leader of Opposition Charan Das Mahant said the delay in implementing reservation stemmed from the inclusion of delimitation as a condition in the 2023 women reservation bill, and said a minor amendment could have enabled immediate rollout without controversy.
The ruling side was trying to turn women’s empowerment into an “event”, he said, adding that the Congress had historically given real rights and leadership roles to women.
Alleging a coordinated political attack, he said the ruling party was using the same script across states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to criticise the Congress, and accused the BJP of trying to cover up its parliamentary setback through Assembly debates.
The ruling party’s “male-dominated” mindset does not favour equal space for women, Mahant said, while adding that immediate implementation of reservation would be welcomed.
If the government’s intent was genuine, Chief Minister Sai should take a bold step and send a message from Chhattisgarh by implementing 33 per cent reservation without delay.
The debate witnessed repeated interruptions and heated exchanges. Just before it was passed, Congress boycotted the proceedings.
The Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Monday passed a government resolution to grant 33 per cent reservation to women in legislative bodies after completing the delimitation exercise, in the absence of MLAs of the main Opposition Congress who staged a walkout.
The Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated in the Lower House on April 17 as 298 members voted in support of the Bill, and 230 MPs voted against it. Out of the 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
The bill proposed to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census data. PTI TKP KRK
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