Shimla, Sept. 4 -- The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to amend the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, to bar daughters-in-law of families involved in encroachment of government land from contesting elections to Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies.

The bill, introduced by Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, was passed by voice vote despite opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which termed the amendment "anti-women" and alleged that it was aimed at targeting certain individuals.

The amendment seeks to expand the definition of "family" under the existing provisions by specifically including a daughter-in-law.

Under the earlier provisions, if a person had enc...