LOK SABHA Speaker Om Birla on Monday said the 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies would open new avenues for women’s political leadership, and asserted that the day was not far when they would account for more than half of the country’s public services.

Birla was speaking after inaugurating a two-day All-India capacity building workshop on “Gender-Responsive Governance”, organised by the National Commission for Women in Faridabad. His remarks come against the backdrop of the government’s efforts to advance the implementation of the women’s reservation law ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha polls. The government’s attempt to amend the law during the Budget Session, through a delimitation-linked constitutional amendment, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.

Birla said sensitivity was a core strength of women’s leadership and could help in understanding people’s concerns and finding effective solutions. He said advancing women’s leadership should be a collective resolve, with efforts aimed at ensuring greater representation of women in leadership positions across spheres of national life.