The Goa Coalition for Women’s Reservations with Inclusion and Federalism has called for the immediate implementation of 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies, urging the Centre to delink the measure from the Census and delimitation process.
The coalition adopted the resolution during a meeting held in Panaji on July 14, saying women’s reservation has been pending despite decades of advocacy by women’s organisations since the 1980s.
According to the coalition, there is “no excuse for any further delay” in implementing the reservation. It has called for a Constitutional Amendment to bring the reservation into effect without waiting for the next Census or constituency delimitation exercise.
The group also raised concerns over linking women’s reservation with delimitation, arguing that doing so could affect India’s federal structure and inclusive democracy. It alleged that the current linkage could be used to pursue objectives beyond women’s political empowerment.
Coalition seeks representation for marginalised women
The coalition said reservation should ensure political representation for women from marginalised communities, including Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Christians, Muslims, Nomadic Tribes, transgender and non-binary persons.
It also called for amendments to related laws to help women from these communities participate meaningfully in elections. Among the measures proposed were provisions addressing gender and political orientation, training and support for women candidates, and state funding for election campaigns.
The coalition further proposed that the selection of constituencies reserved for women should be carried out by state-level commissions comprising representatives of political parties, with at least one-third of the commission members being women.
It said these commissions should conduct broad consultations with marginalised communities, minority women, transgender and non-binary persons before identifying reserved constituencies.
Concerns over delimitation and Goa’s representation
Members from Goa expressed concern over proposals to expand parliamentary seats based on population during the next delimitation exercise.
They argued that smaller states such as Goa and several southern states may see a comparatively smaller increase in seats, reducing their relative representation in Parliament while increasing that of more populous northern states.
The coalition also contended that states which effectively implemented family planning policies could be disadvantaged if future seat allocation is based primarily on population.
The coalition said it will begin engaging Members of Parliament, MLAs and political parties, raise the issue in Gram Sabhas, and use print and digital media to campaign for its demands. Members also agreed to continue coordinating future action through both online and in-person meetings.
Leave a Reply