Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has convened a one-day special session of the State Legislative Assembly on Thursday, April 30, to discuss the significant role and contribution of women in Indian politics and democracy.
The session will focus on a detailed debate in the House regarding women’s participation in democratic processes. All MLAs have been urged to attend the special sitting.
This development comes in the backdrop of the recent developments in Parliament, where the central government introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill related to women’s reservation. After two days of discussion, the bill, aimed at providing reservation for women in legislatures along with provisions for increasing Lok Sabha seats, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and was defeated.
The ruling BJP had strongly criticised the opposition for the bill’s failure.
In Odisha too, BJP leaders had taken to the streets, holding the opposition parties responsible for blocking the landmark legislation.
The special session has been summoned under Article 174(1) of the Indian Constitution by the Governor of Odisha. It is expected to serve as a platform for broader deliberations on enhancing women’s representation in politics at both national and state levels. Women MLAs are expected to lead the discussion, after which other members will participate. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi will reply to the debate, sources said.
While BJP said that the special session reflected its resolve to ensure due political representation for women, Opposition BJD and Congress have dismissed the move as political propaganda. “With the Bill already defeated, the session now served no purpose,” said deputy leader of opposition and BJD MLA Prasanna Acharya, noting that the government ignored a previous demand for a session to discuss delimitation concerns.
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam accused the BJP of “political posturing” and stunts, arguing they should have implemented the quota after the 2023 passing rather than creating a spectacle after its failure.
BJP’s Acharya countered these claims, stating that increasing women’s participation is a “continuous process” and that the party will pursue this goal regardless of the Bill’s defeat in the Lok Sabha
