India's parliament has voted to reorganize and reclassify the state of Jammu and Kashmir, a far-reaching and highly contentious move that will give the government in New Delhi greater authority over the disputed Muslim-majority region, CNN reports.
The bill -- passed by the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday -- will changeJammu and Kashmir's administrative status from a state to a union territory. In the Indian system, state governments retain significant authority over local matters, but New Delhi has more of a say in the affairs of a union territory.
According to Om Birla, speaker of the lower house, the bill was passed by a digital vote with 370 members in favor and 70 against it.
The upper house of India's parliament -- the Rajya Sabha -- passed the bill on Monday. It will now need to be signed into law by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, though it could face legal challenges in the future.
On Monday, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced it was revoking Article 370 of the constitution. The provision granted special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir -- which encompasses the area of the disputed Kashmir region controlled by India -- including the power to have its own constitution, flag and autonomy over all matters, save for certain policy areas such as foreign affairs and defense.