Women's Reservation Bill 2023 Passed In Rajya Sabha Unanimously With 215 Votes In Favour

The Women's Reservation Bill [The Constitution (128th Amendment Bill)] 2023 was passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday (21 September) unanimously with 215 votes in its favour.

Notably, prior to the voting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested the house to vote unanimously in favour of the bill. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said after voting, "Coincidentally, today is PM's birthdy according to Hindu tithi."

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal concluded the debate by saying, "We want to bring it as soon as possible but there are some constitutional barriers that need to be tackled with time."

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had explained the legalities of the bill in Rajya Sabha. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha yesterday with 454 votes in its favour and two votes opposing it.

The Bill seeks to reserve one-third of the total number of seats in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women and was passed in a fifth attempt after previous four unsuccessful attempts.