The Women’s Bill was placed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday but there is wide speculation as to whether the Bill will passed in this session itself. There is some opposition within the ruling party ranks as well as the partners of the coalition to the Bill and thus its passage is expected to be stormy and not without hiccups down the line.

This is the third time that the Bill has placed in the Lok Sabha, the first time being in 1996. Pandering to the demands of some parties like the Samajwadi Party as well some sections within the BJP like Uma Bharati, the Vajpayee government may finally hold the Bill in abeyance once again and ask for a mere 10 per cent reservations in line with what the opposers want, thus warranting a new Bill altogether.The Women’s Bill thus hangs in balance yet again.