Uttarakhand Assembly Sparks Women’s Reservation Debate

In a significant political development, Uttarakhand's Governor, Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (retd), has convened a special session of the state assembly on April 28. The agenda is to deliberate on the contentious Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has sharply divided the ruling and opposition parties.

The proposed legislation seeks to provide a 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats. However, it failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, lacking the required majority support. The BJP has been vocal in blaming the opposition for stymieing the bill, accusing them of blocking a crucial reform for women's rights.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has criticized opposition parties, alleging they misled the public with false arguments to halt a progressive initiative. With half of the population's constitutional rights at stake, the political temperature in Uttarakhand's assembly is expected to be high during this special session.