UPA may dilute 33% women's quota

Crisis managers in the ruling United Progressive Alliance are working on a proposal to bring the 33 per cent quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies (in the bill passed by the Rajya Sabha earlier this week) down to 20 per cent.

This suggestion emerged before the UPA’s managers at their recent meeting with the three top Yadav leaders (Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav), as well as with railway minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee and the DMK’s Mr T.R. Baalu, well-informed sources said.

While all political parties continue to stick to their publicly-stated positions on the controversial legislation, the realisation is growing that it will be difficult to get it passed in the Lok Sabha in its existing form. The current bill is strongly resisted by large numbers of Lok Sabha MPs, cutting across party lines.