Fadnavis and Chidambaram Clash Over Women's Reservation Bill Implementation
A political dispute erupted in Mumbai on Monday between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Union Finance Minister and Rajya Sabha MP P. Chidambaram over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s stance on the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The exchange began after Fadnavis, while commenting on Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, described the Women’s Reservation Bill as a revolutionary measure to empower women and claimed that Gandhi had opposed and voted against it.
Reacting to the remarks on social media platform X, Chidambaram attacked the Chief Minister, saying the statement was likely due to “cognitive fatigue.” Chidambaram noted that the Constitution (106th Amendment) Bill, which provides for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, was passed by Parliament in 2023.
Fadnavis hit back at the former Finance Minister, accusing him of possessing a “selective memory.” The Chief Minister highlighted that the 106th Constitution Amendment Act, 2023, officially titled the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, contains a statutory precondition requiring a Census followed by a delimitation exercise before the reservation provisions can come into effect.
Addressing the timeline, Fadnavis stated that the Census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He argued that waiting for a post-commencement Census and the subsequent delimitation exercise would mean women’s reservation could not be implemented in time for the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Defending the government’s efforts, Fadnavis claimed that fresh legislation was brought in 2026 to permit delimitation based on published 2011 Census figures, expand the strength of the Lok Sabha, and enable implementation ahead of the 2029 general elections. Fadnavis alleged that Gandhi and the Congress opposed and defeated that effort in Parliament, thereby obstructing the rollout timeline.
Fadnavis further alleged that the Congress party supported the 106th Amendment in 2023 only because the NDA already possessed the required numbers, using a Hindi idiom to suggest political opportunism. He expressed confidence that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would ensure the law is ultimately implemented.
The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed by Parliament in September 2023 and received Presidential assent to become the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023. The legislation provides 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, and the Delhi Legislative Assembly, with operational rollout pending the completion of a national Census and delimitation.
