 On 18 December 2015, Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor of the Indian National Congress, whose leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had earlier expressed support for LGBT Rights, introduced a private member's bill to replace Section 377 in the Indian Penal Code and decriminalize consensual same-sex relations.The bill was defeated in first reading, 71–24.For his part, Tharoor expressed surprise at the bill's rejection at this early stage.