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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World

India’s lower house votes to reserve a third of seats for women

India's parliament on Wednesday took a major step towards reserving 33 percent of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation [File: Rafiq Maqbool/AP Photo]

India’s lower house of parliament has passed a bill that would more than double the number of women lawmakers in its ranks, following several failed attempts to enact the measure stretching back decades.

The proposed law, called the Women’s Reservation Bill, would reserve one-third of seats in India’s lower house and state assemblies for women once it takes effect, which could take until at least the end of the decade.

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