Tripura Mahila Congress protests delay in women’s reservation implementation, criticizes Centre over linking 33% quota to delimitation and census, demands caste census and immediate enforcement for fair political representation of women and OBC communities.
A protest demanding faster implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures drew attention in Tripura’s capital on Saturday, as members of the Pradesh Mahila Congress, joined by the party’s OBC Department, assembled outside the Congress Bhavan to press their demands.
The demonstrators raised concerns over delays in enforcing the provisions of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which guarantees 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. Although the legislation came into force after being passed in 2023, its rollout remains contingent on delimitation and the next national census, a process expected to take several years.
Holding placards and raising slogans, the protestors argued that linking the implementation of women’s reservation to delimitation effectively postpones meaningful political representation for women. Under the current framework, the reservation will only be operational after the completion of the delimitation exercise, which is scheduled to follow the census projected for 2027, potentially delaying enforcement until 2029.
Addressing reporters during the protest, Sarbani Ghosh criticized the central government for what she described as a lack of urgency. She stated that despite the passage of the bill being hailed as a historic step, the conditional timeline attached to its implementation undermines its immediate impact.
Ghosh further alleged that opposition parties had repeatedly urged the government to expedite the process and enforce the reservation earlier, without waiting for delimitation. According to her, the government’s stance indicates that the benefits of the legislation will not be realized in the near term, thereby denying women timely representation in decision-making bodies.
The protest also highlighted the demand for a caste-based census, which leaders say is essential to ensure equitable representation of marginalized groups, particularly women from Other Backward Classes (OBC). Ghosh argued that without accurate caste data, the objective of inclusive representation cannot be fully achieved.
Criticism was also directed at the government’s prioritization of delimitation, with protestors alleging that the exercise focuses more on increasing the number of parliamentary seats rather than ensuring fair distribution of representation across different social groups. They contended that addressing representation disparities should take precedence over structural changes in constituencies.
Participants in the demonstration reiterated that women’s reservation has long been a key demand across political lines and emphasized that further delays could weaken public trust in the legislative process. They called for immediate administrative and legal measures to operationalize the reservation without waiting for future exercises.
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The protest concluded with a renewed appeal to the central government to demonstrate political will and take concrete steps toward implementing the reservation at the earliest. Leaders indicated that similar demonstrations may continue if their demands are not addressed promptly.
