National Desk
18 April
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
Journalist And Research Analysist
In a historic legislative setback for the Modi government, the Constitutional (131st) Amendment Bill 2026, aimed at implementing a 33% reservation for women before the 2029 elections, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha on Friday. This marks the first time a major bill introduced by the current government has been defeated in Parliament.
The Voting Outcome
Although the bill received more “Yes” votes than “No” votes, it fell short of the mandatory two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments:
Total Votes Cast: 528
Votes in Favor: 298
Votes Against: 230
Required for Passage: 352
Following the defeat, the government also stalled the Delimitation Bill-2026 and the Union Territories Laws Amendment Bill-2026, as they were intrinsically linked to the reservation framework.
The Political Conflict
The defeat has triggered a fierce war of words between the treasury and opposition benches:
The Government’s Stance: Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the “INDIA” bloc of being anti-women. Shah argued that the bill was necessary to ensure a rational distribution of voters through delimitation and to increase SC/ST seats.
The Opposition’s Stance: Leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi hailed the result as a victory for federalism. They alleged the government was using women’s reservation as a “shield” to force through a delimitation process that would weaken the constitutional structure. Rahul Gandhi challenged the PM to implement the existing 2023 Reservation Act immediately if he was truly serious about women’s empowerment.
Regional Reactions
The impact resonated deeply across states. Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin celebrated the move, stating, “Tamil Nadu has defeated Delhi,” while sharing photos of himself burning copies of the Delimitation Bill. However, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi expressed disappointment, calling it a “sad day for women” despite her party’s broader alliance stance.
