An Indian government bill linking the expansion of the country's assemblies to plans to reserve a third of the seats for women did not pass in parliament. Opposition groups accused the government of manipulating the system to gain more votes. The bill would have increased the number of lawmakers in the lower house by around 55% to 850 by the next parliamentary elections, with a similar expansion of regional assemblies. The government dismissed the accusations, stating it will continue to campaign for women's quotas.