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India pushes women's bill forward
India's upper house of parliament has voted for a bill that would reserve a third of all legislative seats for women, in what the prime minister described as a "historic step".
Tuesday's vote, which saw 186 of 248 members back the draft law, came after socialist politicians blocked the parliamentary debate on Monday and later boycotted the voting.
Despite their action Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, said the poll was a "historic step forward towards emancipation of Indian womanhood".
The bill will now pass to the lower house of parliament, where a third of seats will also be reserved for women, to be voted on next week.
It will have to be approved by 15 of India's 28 states and require presidential consent before it becomes law.