Published Apr 17, 2026 | 8:16 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 17, 2026 | 9:08 PM
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Synopsis: The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, introduced by the Centre to fast-track 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, was defeated on Friday after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, would not be taken forward after the vote.
The Lok Sabha on Friday defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, tabled by the Union government on Thursday with the stated aim of expediting the implementation of 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
After two days of heated discussion, the Bill was put to vote on the evening of April 17 but failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the House.
The Bill secured 298 votes, while 230 members opposed it. The Bharatiya Janata Party had earlier issued a three-line whip for the duration of the ongoing three-day special parliamentary session.
Following the Bill’s defeat, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which were introduced together, are intrinsically linked and cannot be viewed in isolation.
“The bills were a historic attempt to give the nations’ women representation has been defeated,” he said, amid loud boos from Opposition benches.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, we will continue our campaign to afford women their representation and respect.”
He also added that the two other Bills will not be taken forward by the government.
Incidentally, this is the first Bill to be defeated in the Lok Sabha during the 12 years of the Narendra Modi government.
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During the marathon debate, Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah told the Opposition that the women of the country would be watching their intent closely. The Opposition criticised the government for interrelating the three bills.
The Opposition benches said though there was almost a near-unanimous support for the Women’s Bill among all political parties, but decried the government’s move to push for delimitation to redraw the electoral map of the country along with the now-defeated Bill.
Almost all constituents of the INDIA bloc were in support of the Women’s Bill, but vehemently opposed — especially the South Indian states — the move for a population-based delimitation. They said the government’s move would harm the southern states under the garb of clearing the reservation for women.
The ruling NDA, led by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah attacked the Opposition over their criticism of delimitation, saying their intention was to block the women’s reservation.
Before the Bill was defeated, Modi said in an X post that the government had addressed all apprehensions and misconceptions relating to the legislation with facts and figures.
“All concerns have been addressed and any gaps in information have also been filled. For near four decades, this issue of women’s reservation in legislative bodies has been inordinately delayed. Now is the time to ensure that half of the nation’s population receives its rightful due in decision-making,” he posted.
He further appealed to all political parties to reflect carefully and take a sensitive decision by voting in favour of women’s reservation. “On behalf of our Nari Shakti, I also request all members not to do anything that may hurt the sentiments of women across India. Crores of women are watching us,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
