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India passes landmark legislation that will reserve seats for women in Parliament after nearly three decades of impasse
Women rest on a bench at the churchgate railway station during peak hours in Mumbai, India, Thursday, March 20, 2023.

INDIA’S Parliament has approved landmark legislation that reserves one-third of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women.

The decision ends a 27-year impasse over the Bill, but the new law will not apply until the 2029 national elections and after India redraws the boundaries of constituencies.

The Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, approved the legislation on Wednesday with a 454-2 vote.

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