The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Bill) granting 33% seats to women in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. The bill will now move to the Rajya Sabha.

454 MPs voted in favour of the bill, and 2 MPs voted against it.

The bill proposes 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies of State and National Capital Territory of Delhi. Similar reservations will also be provided within the seats reserved for SC and ST. The bill proposes that the reservation will continue for 15 years. Seats reserved for women will be rotated after each delimitation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that census and delimitation will be done immediately after elections (2024 Lok Sabha elections) are held and the day will come soon when seats will be reserved for women.

“For some parties, women’s empowerment can be a political issue, while for others, it can be a tool to win elections. But for the BJP and PM Modi, women’s empowerment is not a political issue, it’s a matter of recognition,” he added.