India, April 17 -- All eyes remain on Parliament's special session after the women's reservation bill was tabled and debated on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging broad political backing in the Lok Sabha. The issue has already triggered a sharp political face-off. The BJP hailed the move as a "historic" step, while opposition parties accused the government of dragging its feet on notifying and implementing the law, alleging it was being used to advance an "unconstitutional" delimitation exercise.

The Women's Reservation Act, 2023 - which mandates a 33% quota for women in legislatures - was brought into force on Thursday, even as key questions around its rollout continue to dominate the debate.

The Women's Reservation Bil...