Concept:
- Low representation has more than one cause, so the remedies work best when each is matched to a different cause.
- The causes lie in the law, in the parties and in society, and each needs a separate measure.
Step 1: The remedy in law, where the gap is widest.
At the union and state level nothing compels the election of women, and their share in the Lok Sabha has stayed around one seventh, with under five per cent in most state assemblies.
A law reserving one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies would close that gap directly, as the proposed bill intends.
Step 2: The remedy already proved at the local level.
One-third of the seats in panchayats and municipalities are reserved for women, and this has produced over ten lakh elected women representatives. Keeping this reservation firmly in place, and extending it where possible, gives women experience in office that leads to higher posts.
Step 3: The remedy inside political parties.
Parties control who gets a ticket, so representation cannot rise unless they nominate more women and do so in seats that can actually be won. Reserving posts for women within the party organisation itself would also help.
Step 4: The remedy in society.
Education for girls, awareness of legal and political rights, and the work of women organisations all widen the pool of women willing and able to enter public life. Without this the seats reserved by law would be harder to fill with strong candidates.
Final Answer: Reserve seats by law at the union and state level, protect the existing one-third reservation in local bodies, make parties field more women in winnable seats, and strengthen education and awareness so that more women are ready to contest.