Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday pitched for a consensus-driven approach to women’s reservation, even as Opposition leaders accused the Centre of delaying its implementation and linking it to contentious delimitation proposals. The issue came into focus during a special session of the Uttarakhand Assembly titled Nari Samman - Loktantra Mein Adhikar, where Dhami urged political parties to rise above differences on women’s empowerment.
Dhami backs early rollout of women’s reservation
Addressing the House, CM Dhami supported the Centre’s efforts to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which provides for 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures, and proposed a unanimous resolution in favour of its early rollout.
He described the legislation as a transformative step aimed at ensuring women’s participation in policymaking, not merely increasing their numerical representation. The chief minister also criticised Opposition parties, alleging they had blocked the Bill’s passage in Parliament and were now attempting to create confusion around it.
Opposition supports quota, questions implementation
However, Opposition leaders maintained that they are firmly in favour of women’s reservation but differ with the Centre on the roadmap for implementation. Leader of Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya said the Congress has consistently supported the Bill and wants it enforced without delay, including ahead of the 2027 state elections.
He alleged that the Union government has not taken concrete steps to operationalise the law since its passage in 2023.
Row over delimitation linkage
At the national level, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh called for an all-party meeting to discuss implementing the law using the existing strength of the Lok Sabha. He reiterated the Opposition’s position against linking women’s reservation to the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that the quota can be introduced within the current 543 seats.
Opposition parties have maintained:
- They support 33% reservation for women
- They oppose linking it to delimitation or increase in seats
- They want implementation within the existing Lok Sabha strength
The Bill’s defeat and political flashpoint
The debate gained traction after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, which sought to expand the Lok Sabha to 816 seats and provide 33% reservation for women, was defeated in the House with 298 votes in favour and 230 against.
The Bill was taken up alongside proposals for delimitation based on the 2011 Census. Following its defeat, the government said it would not pursue the linked legislations. Opposition leaders argued that the Centre’s approach risked delaying implementation and accused it of introducing delimitation for political considerations.
Focus on welfare measures and state initiatives
Meanwhile, Dhami highlighted a range of measures taken by the Centre and the Uttarakhand government to promote women’s empowerment. He pointed to:
- Over ₹5 lakh crore allocation for women and child welfare in the 2026-27 Union Budget
- Schemes such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana
- Around ₹20,000 crore earmarked under Uttarakhand’s gender budget this year
He added that the state is promoting women’s self-reliance through livelihood missions and self-help groups, with over 2.65 lakh women emerging as “Lakhpati Didis”.
Call for broader political consensus
Dhami also defended the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, stating that it had addressed several social practices affecting women. He urged all parties to adopt a constructive approach, saying the goal of ensuring equal political representation for women would ultimately require broad political consensus.
