In a few days from now, Parliament will convene for a special session — to take up amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam that will bring 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies into force from the 2029 general elections. This will mean that the implementation won’t have to wait for the next Census. The government has decided to act with the same political will that first piloted the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act through a historic session in September 2023.

The bill that became law was not born in 2023. It was first introduced decades ago and then reintroduced multiple times — sabotaged by a lack of political consensus, often failing at the altar of petty votebank politics. In 2023, the Modi government did what others only promised on paper and in catchy slogans like “Ladki Hoon” — it delivered the legislation.

The very name Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam carries a quiet revolution. “Vandan” is not mere gratitude, it is reverence. It is an acknowledgement that women’s power is the very engine of national development. For too long, policy spoke of........

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