Question- What is the rationale for reservation in political representation?

Answer -

As far as the basis of logic is concerned, reservations try to ensure real equality as opposed to formal. It is part of a series of affirmative actions/measures intended to compensate for the multi-dimensional prejudices suffered by certain groups over the centuries, leading to their present backwardness. Social justice, therefore, is the main theme of reservations.

More explicitly, electoral reservations are expected to ensure political representation of groups identified as backward. Certainly, many constituencies characterized by high percentage of people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have been reserved for these castes/tribes to ensure that the number of elected representatives coming from these social classes is at least less will be in proportion to their demographic pressure in the Union or in the State. The nature of women is clearly different from the proportion of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes: women constitute half of the population, do not live separately from men, and are divided according to all possible social, cultural and economic parameters.

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