Om Birla to Open CWP India Region Meet at Vidhana Soudha

The Lok Sabha Secretariat announced on 15 November 2026 that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will inaugurate the Conference of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) India Region at the historic Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on Tuesday, 17 November 2026. Women members of Parliament and of the state and union territory legislatures will take part in the two-day sitting.

The theme

The conference carries the theme 'Strong Foundations, Stronger Voices: Inclusive Cyberspace and Mentorship Pathways for New Women Legislators'. Two plenary sessions are listed. The first, on 'Empowering Women Digitally: Safe Cyberspace, Smart Choices', is set for 17 November 2026 and looks at how women can work safely and confidently in the digital world. The second, on 'Capacity Building and Mentorship for Women Legislators', falls on 18 November 2026 and takes up ways of sharpening legislative skills, with particular attention to members newly elected to a House. UN Women India will hold a side event on menopause on 17 November 2026, meant to open informed conversation on women's health and dignity at different stages of life.

Who will speak

How it closes

The sitting ends on Wednesday, 18 November 2026 with the valedictory address by the Governor of Karnataka, Dr Sudha Yadav. The Karnataka Chief Minister, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council will also address that session, and the Chairperson of the CWP India Region will read out a statement on what the conference concluded. The Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will deliver the welcome address at the closing session and the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly will propose the vote of thanks.

Why the forum matters

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians network brings together elected women from legislatures across the Commonwealth, and its India Region groups women legislators from Parliament and from the states and union territories. The Bengaluru meeting is framed as a forum for exchanging practice, building mentorship across generations of legislators and strengthening the place of women in democratic institutions.