Agartala: The Tripura assembly, in a special session, passed a resolution addressed to Parliament in support of the proposed 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill related to the women’s reservation bill.Introducing the motion, govt chief whip Kalayani Roy said the proposed legislation seeks to safeguard women’s constitutional rights and advance their development, empowerment and equitable participation in governance.The House held wide-ranging discussions involving members from all political parties on the need to increase women’s representation in legislative bodies.CM Manik Saha backed the bill, describing it as vital for inclusive growth and for maintaining democratic balance. He also criticized opposition parties for opposing government initiatives and urged more cooperative and constructive dialogue.While parties broadly agreed on reserving 33% of seats for women, sharp differences emerged over how and when the measure should be implemented.CPM MLA Jitendra Chaudhury and Congress legislator Sudip Roy Barman called for early implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill, which was unanimously passed by both Houses of Parliament in 2023. They alleged BJP was linking the bill’s rollout to a proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats through delimitation, arguing this could push implementation to 2034.Chaudhury cited a decline in women’s representation, saying the number of women MPs fell from 78 in the 17th Lok Sabha to 74 in the 18th Lok Sabha, putting their share at about 13.6%.Roy Barman said the idea of 33% reservation for women was first proposed by Congress and claimed several BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley, Yogi Adityanath and Sushma Swaraj, had opposed it earlier. He also questioned the gap between the bill’s unanimous passage in Sept 2023 and its notification on April 16, 2026, asking whether the delay reflected a lack of commitment.Roy Barman accused the ruling party of using women’s issues to advance delimitation and raised doubts about implementing the changes without addressing constitutional provisions such as Articles 81 and 82.BJP legislators defended the approach, arguing that structural reforms, including a possible increase in parliamentary seats, were necessary for effective implementation. They said such changes were needed to deliver lasting institutional reform and meaningful gender equality.The session concluded with members reiterating support for women’s empowerment, even as divisions persisted over the implementation roadmap.
