The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, passed a bill that provides 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and legislatures of various states.
The bill received 454 votes in support in the Lok Sabha, signaling that many opposition members voted in favor of the bill.
Notably, the Lok Sabha has 543 members, including from the ruling alliance and the opposition, led by Congress.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone has 303 elected representatives in the Lok Sabha. Additionally, its allies have around 30 seats there.
Named Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the bill was introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal in the Lok Sabha at 11 AM on Wednesday.
Although the bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha, it will only become law if it is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, followed by a presidential assent.
Furthermore, it is unlikely to come into effect before the 2024 national polls, as the Election Commission of India can only implement it after redrawing the boundaries of constituencies of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
This generally happens after the population census in the country. The census, which was earlier scheduled to take place in 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now expected to be conducted in 2026.
This has many political experts in India reckoning that the women's reservation bill will come into force during the 2029 general polls.