Bill to increase women lawmakers' representation fails in India
發佈日期: 2026-04-18 22:19
TVB News
A bill to reserve a third of seats for women lawmakers failed to pass in the lower house of India's parliament on Friday, along with a separate proposal to expand the national legislature by redrawing voting boundaries.
The measure was seen as one of the most significant changes to India's political system since independence from British rule in 1947, but fell short after 2 days of debate.
It tried to ensure 33% representation for women in parliament and state legislatures.
Women remain underrepresented as lawmakers in general.
However, while there was broad cross-party support for increasing women's representation, opposition parties argued that redrawing voting boundaries and expanding the size of parliament could shift the political balance in favour of Prime Minister Narenda Modi's BJP.
