The new law grants women 33 percent of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar today signed the Women’s Reservation Bill, before it was presented to President Murmu for his assent.
The Constitution Amendment Bill was passed almost unanimously by the Lok Sabha and unanimously by the Rajya Sabha during a special session of Parliament earlier this month.
The new law will take some time to be implemented as the next census and the subsequent process of delimitation (redrawing of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies) will put a halt to seats being set aside for women candidates.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that without proper participation of women in politics, there cannot be talk of an inclusive society and democratic integration.
Addressing a BJP event after unveiling the statue of its ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay on his birth anniversary in Delhi on September 26, PM Modi said the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament is not only a victory for democracy but also for the party. The ideology is also victorious.