Some parties want a quota for backward-class women within the Women's Reservation Bill. The SP and the JD-U want a ‘quota within quota’ for women belonging to the Other Backward Classes and minorities.

The Bill was tabled for the first time in September 1996 and has been introduced in Parliament at least four times but each effort was derailed.

India has had a woman Prime Minister, it has a woman President, the chief of the alliance ruling the country is a woman and the chief minister of the country’s largest state is a woman.

Does the success of these leaders show that women don’t need reservation in political posts? Or will reservation help women in politics? CNN-IBN’s Sagarika Ghose asked this to Congress Spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan, Samajwadi Party MP Shahid Siddiqui, and Madhu Kishwar, editor of Manushi.

"The Congress believes the Bill is absolutely vital to ensure that there is a critical mass of women in Parliament and state legislatures and to make sure that women’s issues get proper attention," said Natarajan.

"Studies have shown that unless there are 30 per cent women in a decision-making body there concerns won’t be addressed. Till today we have the sorry figure of 7 per cent women in legislatures and no more. Reservation for women has proved a tremendous success in local bodies," she said.