Punjab CM endorses Naveen’s proposal for 33pc reservation for women in Parliament, Assemblies

Bhubaneswar, Dec 28: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amrinder Singh Thursday agreed to the proposal of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and State legislature.

In a letter to Patnaik, he said that Punjab had recently passed a resolution in the Assembly favouring 33 per cent reservation for women.

“We have already passed a resolution in the recently held Session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha urging upon the Government of India to provide 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies,” Singh’s letter read.

Notably, On December 4, Naveen had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his support for the reservation for women in representative democracy at the highest levels.

A day later, Naveen designated Odisha Ministers and MLAs to different States to bag support in favour of the proposal.

Besides the Congress and BJP, BJD leaders will meet representatives of the Trinamool Congress, the BSP, the CPI, the CPM and the NCP. They will also meet the leaders of 15 regional parties — the AAP, the AIADMK, the DMK, the INLD, the JD(S), the JD(U), the National Conference, the PDP, the JMM, the RJD, the SAD, the Shiv Sena, the SP, the TDP and the TRS.

The Odisha Assembly on 20 November had unanimously passed a resolution seeking reservation of one-third seats for women in Parliament and state Assemblies.

The Odisha government had raised the reservation for women in panchayats and urban local bodies to 50 percent from 33 percent in 2011.