Women’s political participation to surge past quotas, says Fadnavis at SheShakti Summit

During the discussion, Fadnavis also spoke about how corporate India has evolved when it comes to women workforce

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, at the News18 SheShakti West summit in Mumbai on Thursday, said that the country is entering a fresh phase of women-led political change. He further added that in the next ten years, women might surpass the 33% reservation outlined in the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

During his conversation with Palki Sharma, managing editor at Network18, he also recalled how the early days of women’s reservations in local bodies often saw their male relatives functioning as the real decision-makers behind the curtain and when the shift began coming in.

“At that time, women had 33% of the seats. But many were stand-ins. The terms ‘sarpanch-pati’ and ‘corporator-pati’ came into existence because men felt it was their role,” the chief minister said, noting that a gradual shift began around 1997, when women began actually performing in those roles.

The chief minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the historic reform in the form of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, passed during his second term. “The maturity of our democracy and of our women has brought us here. Sometimes the law forces us to act, but once people see the change, they understand it was the right thing to do,” Fadnavis said.

“In 2029, when it becomes compulsory to give tickets to women, I don’t think we will stop at 33%. Within ten years, it will be 50%,” he said.

However, he noted, that women continue to be underrepresented in Parliament. “When we meet to decide tickets, our party makes it a point to prioritise women candidates. But the problem is, we still don’t have enough contenders,” Fadnavis said.

During the discussion, Fadnavis also spoke about how corporate India has evolved when it comes to women workforce. “I meet business owners who tell me 30-40% of their workforce are women. They’ve done it without being told to. They say women are sincere, don’t fight, and there are no strikes,” he quipped.