Bangladesh’s Women’s Affairs Reform Commission has proposed increasing the number of seats in the national parliament from 350 to 600. According to media reports on Saturday, the commission recommended assigning one general seat and one women’s seat for each parliamentary constituency. Currently, Bangladesh's parliament has 350 seats. Out of these, 50 are reserved for women. The new proposal aims to ensure stronger female representation in national politics.

Report Submitted to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus received the commission’s report earlier in the day. The interim government had formed this commission back in November last year. The local media outlet, bdnews24.com, confirmed the submission. The report included 15 recommendations. Among them, three major suggestions focused on strengthening equality, legal protections, and constitutional support for women.

Emphasis on Local Development and Women’s Rights

The panel urged the government to support decentralisation and grassroots development. It believes this approach will better secure women’s rights and interests across the country. One of the key proposals is to increase the number of total parliamentary seats to 600. This would mean each constituency would have two MPs—one general and one female.

Yunus Calls for Immediate Action

After receiving the report, Chief Adviser Yunus directed the authorities to act on the suggestions that can be quickly implemented.

He said, “The recommendations that can be implemented quickly should be executed through us. We can set an example for other countries in the world through this work. Women around the world are looking at this. They will review it and be inspired. Women in other countries are also serious about this.” He added that the proposed changes will be shared with political parties via the National Consensus Commission.

Justification for 600 Seats

Commission Chairperson Shirin Parveen Haque explained the reason behind proposing 600 seats during a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy.

She stated, “If we think about the population, 300 seats are no longer sufficient. So 600 seats seem logical enough. Whether in a discussion or a debate, we believe 600 seats is not too many for this population.”

She further emphasized, “We must accept it if we want women to be a part of the legislature and make laws. We think it will create a fair and good process in politics.”