Consider the following statements: 1. Assertion (A): The reservation of thirty-three per cent of seats for women in Parliament and State Legislatures does not require Constitutional amendment. 2. Reason (R): Political parties contesting elections can allocate thirty-three per cent of seats they contest to women candidates without any Constitutional amendment. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct?

The question evaluates an Assertion (A) and a Reason (R) regarding women's reservation in legislatures.Assertion (A) states that reserving 33% of seats for women in Parliament and State Legislatures does not require a Constitutional amendment. This is incorrect. Such a reservation, mandating a fixed percentage of seats, would alter the composition of legislatures as defined/implied by the Constitution and would require a Constitutional amendment (like the proposed Women's Reservation Bills). Thus, A is false.Reason (R) states that political parties can allocate 33% of the seats they contest to women candidates without any Constitutional amendment. This is correct. Political parties are free to decide their candidate lists and can nominate any percentage of women candidates voluntarily for the seats they contest. This internal party decision does not require a constitutional change. Thus, R is true.Since A is false and R is true, option (D) is the correct assessment.