In India, a spirited national debate is unfolding over the implementation of the women’s reservation law. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged the government to implement the legislation only after a caste census, arguing that representation for women from backward communities must be ensured fairly. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went further, alleging that linking the women’s quota bill to delimitation is a “conspiracy to delete voters’ names,” pointing out that 37% of West Bengal’s Lok Sabha MPs are already women.
Meanwhile, women parliamentarians from across party lines endorsed a common message: it’s time women are seen as lawmakers, not just as beneficiaries of quotas. In Karnataka, the state government established a technical committee to examine internal reservation allocations.
