WATCH: Parliament’s Monsoon Session & Women Reservation Bill Issue

What is the way forward for women reservation bill, The Quint’s opinion editor discusses with politicians & experts.

Can monsoon session of parliament see women’s reservation bill passing?

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It has been 24 years since the Women’s Reservation Bill was first introduced by the Deve Gowda government in 1996. Femme First Foundation has written to all current Members of Parliament - both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - to support the Bill and ensure its passage. Therefore, while the first two panel discussions in the series shed light on the context and the need for the Bill, in this forum, we are talking about how progress with this bill can be achieved.

She Runs Government dialogues is a platform organised by Femme First Foundation where political leaders discuss how to advance women's political leadership in India.

For the panel discussion, we have Ms. Annu Tandon, former MP from Indian National Congress; Ms. Shaina NC, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party; Dr. Sasmit Roy, Biju Janta Dal Rajya Sabha member, and Mr. Chakshu Roy of PRS Legislative Research. BJD has initiated and ensured 33% reservation for women while giving party tickets for Lok Sabha elections and Dr. Sasmit Patra had urged the Centre to take steps for passage of the Bill during the 2019 Monsoon Session in Parliament.

Along with Dr. Sasmit Patra, we will have Ms. Annu Tandon as the voice of the opposition party and Ms. Shaina NC as the voice of the governing party discuss with us how the parties can move forward together to pass the Bill. Mr. Chakshu Roy will also share with us the technicalities that the Bill will have to undergo at this juncture in both the Houses and the state Assemblies. The session will be moderated by Nishtha Gautam from The Quint.