 (6).png)
12 hours ago
2
ARTICLE AD BOX
The Lok Sabha rejected the bill that sought to tweak the women's reservation law with 298-230 votes. Here are five reasons the Opposition opposed the bill — and a blow-by-blow response from Amit Shah.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah (L); Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi debate on three bills.(PTI)The Lok Sabha failed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to tweak the old women's reservation bill and expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats.
The BJP-led NDA government failed to secure the two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the bill, falling short by 62 votes. As per the number game, the NDA needed the support of 360 of 540 MPs in the Lower House. However, only 298 MPs voted in favour of the bill, and 230 voted against it.
As the Constitution Amendment) Bill was not passed in the Lok Sabha, the government did not proceed with voting on the other two bills — the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
"…no further action will now be taken on the Union Territory Legislative Amendment Bill 2026 and the Delimitation Bill 2026, which were linked to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026,” the government said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other NDA leaders had repeatedly appealed to the Opposition to support the bill to "empower the women", but the latter advocated against it, saying that the Constitutional Amendment bill is not about women's reservation but an "attempt to change the electoral map of India."
Here are five reasons the Opposition opposed the bill — and a blow-by-blow response from Amit Shah.
| 1 | Why is the government bringing this bill now when the Women's Reservation the bill was already passed in 2023? | In 1972, the then PM Indira Gandhi's government brought the Delimitation Bill and increased the number of seats from 525 to 545, and then froze it at this. In 1976, to save power during the Emergency period, the 42nd Amendment imposed a ban on delimitation. We want to de-freeze seats to implement women reservation. |
| 2 | Why is the old women's reservation law being amended now? The 2023 law says the reservation will be implemented after the new Census and subsequent delimitation of seats. So, why does the same government now want to move ahead with the old Census [2011]? | To implement 33% reservation by 2029, we need to act now. New delimitation won't be completed before 2029, and new census numbers won't be available by 2027. |
| 3 | If there is no new Census, then OBCs, Dalits and other minorities won't have correct representation in Parliament | Those opposing delimitation are actually opposing an increase in SC/ST seats. If the number of seats in the Lok Sabha increases, those seats represented by SC/ST will also increase. |
| 4 | Govt wants to bypass the caste census. 'What you are trying to do is that caste census has nothing to do with representation for the next 15 years...' | The government held discussions with numerous parties, caste groups, state governments, and several social groups, and decided that we will conduct a caste census |
| 5 | The govt wants to weaken southern states, 'change electoral map' | No one will be at a loss. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Keralam - the strength of these five states in the 543 parliamentary seats is currently 129, which is 23.76%. After a 50% increase, when we allocate the seats for these five states, it will rise from 129 to 195, which will represent 23.87% in 816 seats. |
NDA's women's reservation fails in Lok Sabha: What's next?
On Friday, the Lok Sabha rejected the Centre's proposal to expand the Lok Sabha's strength from 543 to 850 seats and allow delimitation of seats based on the 2011 Census. The Union Government wanted to implement these bills to tweak the Women's Reservation Act, which mandates 33 per cent reservation for women.
The 2023 law mandated a Census and delimitation exercise before the implementation of the 33 per cent women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, the three new bills sought to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats and remove the provision that mandated delimitation after each census.
While introducing the bill on Thursday, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had said, "There will be an equal, 50 per cent increase in the strength of Lok Sabha members, and this will translate to 815 seats, of which 272 will be reserved for women, which comes to one-third of the strength of the House. There will be no loss to anyone (states), and they will retain their strength."
Now that the Constitutional Amendment failed to get passed in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Women's Reservation Act of 2023, which mandates 33 per cent reservation for women, is in effect.
The Act is in force in its existing form, which means it still requires Census and delimitation to happen first to implement the 33 per cent reservation.
"We are in favour of women's reservation. If the government implements the Women's Reservation Bill passed in 2023, the entire Opposition will support it without exception," Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said.
About the Author
Akriti Anand
Akriti Anand is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint. She is a digital journalist with more than six years in the news industry.<br><br> In her current role, she covers both national and international politics, and also keeps a close watch on the latest trends in science and space exploration. <br><br> Akriti joined the LiveMint team in October 2023. Before this, she built a strong career at other major media houses. She worked as a senior sub-editor at India Today. Later, she moved to CNBCTV-18. There, she covered high-pressure topics like breaking news and major elections. She spent much of her time analysing Parliament bills and complex political debates. She is also a skilled editor who knows how to polish a story for a digital audience. <br><br> One of her career highlights happened at CNBCTV-18. She made her first television debut during the Chandrayaan-3 mission. She also provided special on-air coverage for the Karnataka Elections. <br><br> When she is not busy with breaking news, Akriti loves to write explainers and interview experts on a wide range of issues. She also enjoys making complex space missions easy for everyone to understand. <br><br> Her education helps her tackle these diverse subjects. She holds a BA in English Literature, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mass Communication, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies. She is currently expanding her knowledge in climate journalism.<br><br> Connect with Akriti here<br> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/akriti-anand-868285199">https://www.linkedin.com/in/akriti-anand-868285199</a><br> Twitter/X: <a href="https://x.com/AkritiAnand7">https://x.com/AkritiAnand7</a><br> Email: akriti.anand@htdigital.in
English (US) ·