BHUBANESWAR: Ruling BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said his party strongly supported the Women Reservation Bill tabled in Parliament.
"As you know, my party has always promoted the Women Reservation Bill in the Assembly and elsewhere. I hope it will be passed shortly," Patnaik told reporters here.
Earlier, the BJD had issued a three-line whip for its Rajya Sabha MPs to remain present in the House and support the passage of the Bill. A three-line whip is a strict instruction to attend and vote according to the party’s position, a breach of which would normally have serious consequences.
Notably, the BJD has long been pushing for the Bill and made a strong pitch for its passage in both Houses. Senior BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab said Odisha is a model state for women’s quota as former CM Biju Patnaik had first introduced 1/3rd reservation for women in panchayat and urban local body elections in 1991. Thereafter, the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments were brought to ensure reservation for women in local body elections in all states.