Parliament: Historic Women's Reservation bill in Rajya Sabha today

The bill will be debated in Rajya Sabha on the fourth day of the special session of Parliament.

The historic Women's Reservation Bill designed to provide 33 percent reservation to women in Parliament and state assemblies was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after hours of fierce debate.

This was the first time the bill was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha.

The lower house of the Parliament passed the bill through a voice vote in its new building during the five-day special session called on the occasion of 75 years of Indian Independence.

The bill received the support of 454 MPs while only two members voted against it.

However,  the implementation of the quota, though, can take place only after a census and delimitation, which pushes it back by at least six years.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that both delimitation and census will begin after next year's General Elections. 

PM Modi thanks MPs 'across party lines' for voting in support of the bill

Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked Members of Parliaments across party lines who voted in favour of the historic Women's Reservation Bill which cleared the Lok Sabha hurdle Wednesday with the support of 454 voice votes.

"Delighted at the passage of The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha with such phenomenal support. I thank MPs across Party lines who voted in support of this Bill," PM Modi wrote in a tweet.

"The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam is a historic legislation which will further boost women empowerment and will enable even greater participation of women in our political process," he said.