A man walks past the new Parliament building in New Delhi, India, Sept 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday the cabinet had approved a bill to reserve one-third of seats in the lower house of parliament and state assemblies for women, reviving a proposal that has been hanging for decades.

The announcement by Modi during a special session of parliament comes eight months before general elections are due by May 2024.

Women account for almost half of India's 950 million registered voters but make for only 15 percent of parliament and around 10 percent of state legislatures

"There have been many debates in the past regarding women's reservation...and I appeal to lawmakers to support the bill," Modi said in the lower house of the parliament. The bill needs to be approved by parliament and state assemblies to become law.

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Women account for almost half of India's 950 million registered voters but make for only 15 percent of parliament and around 10 percent of state legislatures, pushing the world's largest democracy to the bottom of the global list on gender parity in legislatures.