Updated on Sunday, February 15, 2009, 00:00 IST

Dhaka, Feb 15: Even as political parties in India still drag their feet over reserving 33 percent of seats to women in Lok Sabha, the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh is going ahead with its plan to amend the Constitution to more than double the share of seats for women.

"The number of reserved seats for women in Parliament will be increased to 33 percent from current 15," Local Government and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said yesterday.

The government has decided to amend its law wherein the women parliamentarians are chosen by the members elected to the house through direct polls.

"We shall amend the Constitution to allow women to come to the house through direct election from the next parliamentary polls," Ashraful was quoted as saying by the 'Daily Star'.

In the existing Westminster-style parliamentary system, 45 seats are reserved for women lawmakers in the 300-member National Assembly.

Ashraful, who is also the spokesman of the ruling Awami League, was inaugurating the distribution of party nomination forms for reserved seats for women.

In India, the bill to implement the reservation of 33 percent seats for women is yet to be passed as some parties have raised apprehensions over the move.

Bureau Report