New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, September 19, that his government was ready to enact the Women’s Reservation Bill to reserve 33% of seats in the lower house of parliament as well as state legislative assemblies for women.
In December 2022, then law minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha about the percentage of women elected or nominated to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assemblies. A PIB release adds, “Gender justice is an important commitment of the Government. The issue involved needs careful consideration on the basis of the consensus among all political parties before a Bill for amendment in the Constitution is brought before Parliament.”
The chart below shows the proportion of women elected to India’s legislative assemblies as of December 2022. The data also mentions the year of the last election to the state assemblies.
Chhattisgarh leads with 14.4%, a share that is well less than the proposed 33% reservation. As for the Lok Sabha, women make up 14.94% of its elected members – higher than for any state’s assembly.