Srinagar: A national consultation event on women’s reservation in electoral politics is scheduled to be held on May 30 in Srinagar. The speakers and the stakeholders at the event, to be organised by StreeShakti -The Parallel Force, will lobby for 33 percent women’s reservation in State Assemblies during the daylong event.
The objective of the national consultation scheduled to be held at Sheri Kashmir International Convention Centre, Srinagar is to discuss and deliberate upon the significant issue of women’s reservation in electoral politics in India.
“This will be a stakeholder consultation, wherein, experts in their respective fields, such as governance, journalism, medicine, education, sociology, law, politics, and social work, will present their views,” the document reads.
The stakeholders will also get engaged in an in-depth discussion to recommend changes for increasing women’s representation in politics.
“A new look at women’s reservation bill asking for 33 percent reservation in state legislative assemblies is required,” it reads.
The organisers believe that the women’s equal participation in political and public life is significant for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
“The Indian Constitution enshrines equality of genders; Article 14 embodies its general principles. Yet women’s representation in political institutions remains far from equal,” the document reads.
Notably, women constitute 50 percent of the population, women Member Parliaments make up 14.4 percent of the elected representatives in the Lok Sabha, and worse, 70 percent of India’s states, have less than 10 percent female MLAs.
“In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, only four women from J&K filed nominations. In the year 2014, out of 30 women contestants, who fought the 2014 Legislative Assembly elections, only two made it to the Legislative Assembly,” the document reads.
Noting that women’s participation in policy-making decisions in State Legislative Assemblies was essential, StreeShakti has said that the percentage of women in the Legislative Assembly in J&K has not crossed three percent since 1972.
“Women focus and care about different issues, such as healthcare, social welfare and services, gender discrimination, and women, family, environment, and children’s issues. Increased representation of women in politics has the potential for transformative social change,” the document reads.
Social activist and worker for over three decades and President of Streeshakti-The Parallel Force Rekha Mody along with Prof. Shireen Moti, Kashmiri Pandit, Author, Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law, O.P. Jindal Global University, TV Panelist, and Convenor Streeshakti and Prof. Kamal K. Mishra, Assistant Professor of Sanskrit, University of Calcutta and Joint Convenor Streeshakti will be present at the event.