The Centre will need to bring necessary amendments either in the Women’s Reservation Act or the Union Territories Act, 1963 for reserving 33% of the seats in the Puducherry Assembly as the Act passed by the Parliament on September 21, only prescribes quota for women in Lok Sabha, State Assemblies and the Legislative Assembly of New Delhi.
While the women’s reservation Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, mentions about amending article 239AA pertaining to the National Capital, to provide reservation for women in the Delhi Assembly, it does not have any reference to article 239 A which deals with the administrative affairs of the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is also not included in the ambit of the reservation act. There are only three Union Territories — Delhi, J&K and Puducherry in the country that have Legislative Assemblies.
“The Bill did not mention Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. There is only provision to amend the article which governs New Delhi to provide 33% quota in the Assembly of the National Capital. The reason for excluding Puducherry and J&K is not clear as of now,” a government source here told The Hindu.
When contacted, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) V. Vaithilingam said the Bill did not have any mention of Puducherry. He said immediately after the Bill was passed by the Lower House, the exclusion of Puducherry from the purview of the reservation policy was taken up with Union Minister of Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal. The Union Minister had made it clear that the legislation was made to provide reservation for women in direct elections across the country. The Minister also made a reference on making necessary amendments to provide quota for women in Puducherry Assembly also, Mr. Vaithilingam said.
“The Union Minister said adequate provisions will be made by the time the law will be enforced in the country,” the MP told The Hindu.
According to sources in the BJP, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while participating in the discussion on the Bill in Rajya Sabha on Thursday referred to the government’s intent to make “consequential amendment to the relevant Acts” to provide reservation for women in the Legislative Assemblies of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. It will be done in due course, he said.
In the 33-member Puducherry Assembly, including three nominated legislators, currently there is only one woman representative belonging to ruling All India N R Congress — S. Chandira Priyanga, AINRC MLA representing Nedungadu reserved constituency in Karaikal region. She is also the Minister for Transport in the AINRC-BJP government headed by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy.
The maximum representation of women was in the 14th Legislative Assembly. There were four women legislators in the preceding Legislative Assembly.
