Women’s reservation bill to be implemented from 2029 election: Gujarat minister Manisha Vakil

Gandhinagar: The women's reservation bill, granting 33% reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies, will be implemented in Gujarat from the 2029 general elections, said minister of state for women and child welfare, Manisha Vakil, on Tuesday."The women's reservation bill will be implemented in Gujarat from the 2029 general elections. It will come into force after the delimitation exercise and the census work," Vakil said. She remarked that the central government is preparing for key discussions on the implementation framework of the women's reservation legislation, Narishakti Vandan Abhiniyam, during the upcoming special parliamentary session beginning April 16.Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar, Vakil said the proposed Women's Reservation Bill marks a significant step towards strengthening women's participation in governance and should now move towards effective implementation.Vakil further said that the implementation of the law would follow a defined constitutional process and timeline linked to future electoral exercises, indicating that the reservation would come into effect in a later phase after the required procedural steps are completed. The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, provides for reserving one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, along with horizontal reservation for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes within their respective categories.The implementation of the law is linked to a delimitation exercise to be undertaken after the first census conducted following its commencement, meaning its operational rollout is expected after constituency redrawing and subsequent elections.The special session of Parliament, scheduled from April 16 to 18, is expected to focus on enabling provisions and procedural steps for implementation, alongside wider deliberations on representation and electoral reforms linked to the legislation.