New Delhi: Hoping to evolve an elusive political consensus on the controversial Women's Reservation Bill, Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi has convened an all-party meeting on the issue on June 16.

The meeting will discuss proposals from various parties on the Bill in an effort to ensure its passage, in its present form or a modified one, in the 13th Lok Sabha itself, Lok Sabha sources said.

The task of evolving a consensus was left to the Speaker with the government throwing up its hands after the Bill was stalled in the lower House for the fourth time amidst unruly scenes in the last Budget session.

The meeting is likely to discuss various proposals, including Election Commission's suggestion to ensure that parties give tickets to 33 per cent of women, double-member constituency, bringing down the percentage of reservation to 20 per cent and allowing a sub-quota for women from backward classes and minority communities for evolving a consensus.

Responding to the Speaker's suggestion to parties to send in writing their proposals ahead of the meeting, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leader Somnath Chatterjee has said the party favoured passage of the Bill in its present form.

PTI