Sunday, 5th April 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 30th July 2025, 6:44 PM
The National Consensus Commission has proposed a revised plan to retain the existing 50 reserved seats for women in the National Parliament, while introducing a requirement that 7% of general seats be contested by female candidates. The proposal was presented on Wednesday, 30 July, during the 22nd day of the second phase of dialogue with political parties, held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Background and Previous Proposals
The issue of women’s representation in parliament has been a key focus of the ongoing constitutional reform dialogue. Various political and reformist groups have previously presented diverse proposals, which include:
| Proposer/Party/Commission | Proposal on Women’s Representation |
| Constitutional Reform Commission | Direct election in 100 seats reserved for women |
| Electoral Reform Commission | Rotational voting system for 100 directly elected women’s seats |
| National Citizen Party (NCP) | Supported rotational direct elections in 100 women’s seats |
| CPB, BASAD, JSD | Advocated for direct elections in 100 seats for women |
| Islamic Parties (incl. Jamaat-e-Islami) | Proposed proportional representation for 100 women’s seats |
| BNP and Allied Parties | Favoured continuing with 100 reserved seats under the existing system |
In response to these divergent views, the commission initially proposed on 14 July that any party contesting more than 25 constituencies must nominate at least one-third female candidates. However, this was widely opposed by the majority of parties.
BNP’s Alternative and Revised Commission Proposal
Subsequently, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed suggested maintaining the 50 reserved seats and introducing a minimum of 5% female candidacy in general seats for the upcoming election, increasing to 10% in the 14th National Parliament.
Building on this, the Consensus Commission has now proposed the following structured roadmap for increasing women’s participation:
Commission’s Updated Proposal Summary:
| Measure | Details |
| Reserved Seats | 50 seats retained through constitutional amendment (Article 65(3)) |
| Female Candidacy Requirement (2025 Election) | Minimum 7% of general seats to be contested by women candidates |
| Target for 14th Parliament Election | 15% of general seats to have female candidates |
| Gradual Increase in Future Elections | Female candidacy to increase by 5% per election |
| Final Target | 100 women to be directly elected to Parliament |
Political parties will implement these changes starting from the next general election, following the signing of the “July National Charter 2025”.
Legal Validity and Constitutional Context
The provision for 50 reserved women’s seats was extended for 25 years under the 17th Amendment, passed in Parliament on 8 July 2018, extending its validity until 2043. However, as per Article 65(3) and 65(3A) of the Constitution, the existing provision will expire after the 14th Parliament unless further amended.
The proposal allows for both continuity and transition — safeguarding reserved seats while introducing direct participation pathways for women to ensure representation scales up to 100 seats in a phased manner.
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