The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly has passed the long awaited women’s reservation bill, giving them a 50 per cent quota in local self-government bodies. This bill would pave the way for women’s equal representation along with men in civic bodies including Mumbai and Thane municipal corporations, zilla parishads, panchayat samitis and gram panchayats. The Bill was passed unanimously after a debate with members cutting across various party lines supporting the legislation. Rural Development minister Jayant Patil said that six to seven states including Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal have already passed the bill increasing women’s quota to 50 per cent. Patil described the bill as a step towards women’s empowerment.