New Delhi: In a rare display of bipartisan consensus in Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha passed the Women’s Reservation Bill on Wednesday evening with an unprecedented majority.
After eight hours of intense debate, voting was conducted through slips. Speaker Om Birla announced that 454 members had voted in favour of the Bill while only two voted against it.
The Narendra Modi government had introduced the Women’s Reservation Bill on Tuesday.
The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha as well as assemblies of states and Union Territories.
The Women’s Reservation Bill will next go to the Rajya Sabha before being sent to President Droupadi Murmu to be signed into law.
Opposition parties including Congress have criticised the exclusion of other backward classes (OBCs) in the bill.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he supports the bill, but voiced his disappointment for OBS being left out. He also criticised the requirement of delimitation and census for the implementation of the bill.
