India moves toward reserving 33% of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women

By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Parliament has taken a major step toward reserving 33% of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, an issue that languished for nearly three decades because of a lack of consensus among political parties. Indian President Droupadi Murmu called the measure the most “transformative revolution in our times” for gender justice. Parliament’s lower house approved the legislation introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government that is expected to boost its image ahead of national elections before next May. The legislation now requires approval from Parliament’s upper house and half of the country’s 28 state legislatures, which is considered likely.