Leaders in Uttarakhand divided on women’s quota rollout ahead of delimitation exercise

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE / Dehradun

The proposed implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies has drawn mixed reactions in Uttarakhand, with leaders from the ruling party welcoming the move while opposition voices have raised concerns over its timing and linkage with delimitation.

Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha State president Asha Nautiyal described the provision as a landmark step which would expand women’s role from participation to decision-making in legislative bodies. She said that greater representation of women would strengthen governance and transparency in democratic institutions. Supporting the move, Uttarakhand State Commission for Women chairwoman Kusum Kandwal termed the measure a significant achievement, noting that women leaders had long demanded greater representation. She said that the initiative could create leadership opportunities for women from grassroots institutions such as Panchayats to Parliament and contribute to broader social and economic development.

However, concerns have been raised by the opposition. Chief spokesperson of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, Garima Dasauni questioned the linkage of the reservation provision with delimitation and the proposed increase in parliamentary seats from 543 to 850. She said that such changes could alter the representation balance among states and flagged concerns about implementation based on older census data. Opposition parties are pushing back, arguing that any redrawing of seats should wait for the results of the census launched this month. That exercise, a vast logistical undertaking across a country of 1.4 billion people, is expected to take at least a year to complete, with full data processing likely stretching well beyond that.

Former chairwoman of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Usha Negi stressed that reservations should ensure meaningful and capable representation. She emphasised the need to include women from rural and remote areas and highlighted the importance of ensuring opportunities in proportion to women’s share of the population.