CNN —India’s parliament passed a landmark bill Thursday that will reserve a third of its seats in the lower house and state assemblies for women, in a major win for rights groups that have for decades campaigned for better gender representation in politics.
A total of 215 lawmakers from the upper house voted in favor of the bill, which was introduced by prime minister Narendra Modi’s government in a special parliamentary session on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, the bill’s passage in parliament will be seen as a further boost to Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of national elections next year.
India Gandhi served as the country’s leader twice before her assassination in 1984.
India’s current President, Droupadi Murmu, who was appointed to the position last year became only the second woman to take the seat.
Persons:
CNN —, Narendra Modi’s, ” Modi, India’s, Modi, India Gandhi, Droupadi Murmu
Organizations:
CNN, Twitter, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP
Locations:
India