Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ruling BJD Tuesday said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s efforts bore fruit with the Narendra Modi government introducing the women’s reservation bill in Lok Sabha.
BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said his party nominated 33 per cent women candidates from the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Of the seven women candidates fielded by the party, five won the elections.
The BJD government has also reserved 50 per cent of seats for women in the local bodies of the state, he said.
Speaking to reporters, senior state minister Pramila Mallik said the credit for the introduction of the bill in Lok Sabha must go to Patnaik and his efforts.
He has been working all along to elevate the status of women in society and his dream has now been fulfilled, she said.
The legendary Biju Patnaik gave opportunities to women in politics when he was the Chief Minister, and his son Naveen has accelerated the process, she added.
The Odisha assembly had adopted a resolution two years ago, seeking reservation of 33 per cent seats in Lok Sabha and state legislatures for women, Mallik said.
The Centre introduced a constitutional amendment bill to reserve one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. The government said it will enable greater participation of women in policy-making at the state and national levels and help achieve the goal of making India a developed country by 2047.
Women’s reservation will come into effect after the delimitation exercise is undertaken and will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation exercise, the bill said.
PTI
