A day after the passage of the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill (also known as the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023) in the Lok Sabha, the stage has been set for the deliberation and approval of this significant legislation in the Rajya Sabha.
Now, in line with the ongoing deliberations and debates, in a historic move, the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, reconstituted the panel of Vice-Chairpersons, comprising 13 women RS Members for the day.
Furthermore, speaking about this move, the Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha emphasized that their presence in the chair would send a powerful message to the world at large and symbolize that they held ‘commanding positions’ during this epochal moment of change.
The names of the women Rajya Sabha members nominated to the Panel of Vice Chairpersons are P.T. Usha, S Phangnon Konyak, Jaya Bachchan, Saroj Pandey, Rajani Ashokrao Patil, Dr. Fauzia Khan, Dola Sen, Indu Bala Goswami, Dr. Kanimozhi NVN Somu, Kavita Patidar, Mahua Maji, Dr. Kalpana Saini, and Sulata Deo.
It is pertinent to note that the vice-chairpersons are eligible to preside over the House in the absence of the chairman or the deputy chairman.
Lok Sabha passes Nari Shakti Vandan Vidheyak 2023:
Twenty-seven years after the Women’s Reservation Bill – the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, was first introduced in Parliament, the Lok Sabha passed the historic bill with a massive majority.
With 454 members of the Lok Sabha in support, the Parliament made the historic decision, proposing to amend the Constitution and provide one-third reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. Only two members, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Asaduddin Owaisi and Syed Imtiyaz Jaleel, opposed the Bill during the voting procedures.
Earlier, on the passage of the bill in Lok Sabha, PM Modi said, “Delighted at the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Lok Sabha with such phenomenal support. I thank MPs across party lines who voted in support of this Bill. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is historic legislation that will further boost women empowerment and enable even greater participation of women in our political process.”
