Guwahati: The Lok Sabha on Friday failed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to provide 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, after a prolonged and contentious two-day debate.
The Bill secured 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment. With the effective strength of the House at 540, at least 360 votes were needed for passage at full strength.
Following the outcome, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said two related legislations — the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, would not be taken up, as they were linked to the proposed amendment.
The debate saw the government strongly defending the measure, maintaining that it had addressed concerns surrounding its implementation and urging members to support what it described as a long-pending reform aimed at enhancing women’s representation in legislative bodies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to political parties to take a considered view, emphasising that the issue of women’s reservation had remained unresolved for decades and that the country’s women were closely watching the proceedings.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, replying to the debate, accused Opposition parties of raising objections to stall the legislation, asserting that the government had clarified all aspects of the proposal.
The Opposition, however, remained united in opposing the Bill, arguing that it was being linked to delimitation in a manner that could alter the electoral balance and disadvantage certain regions, particularly the southern and northeastern states.
Sources indicated that the government made last-minute efforts to reach out to some Opposition parties to secure support, but these did not yield results. A meeting of senior BJP leaders and ministers was also held to deliberate on the strategy ahead of the vote.
Leaders within the ruling alliance acknowledged the lack of numbers but chose to proceed with the voting. Some indicated that the outcome could be framed politically to highlight the Opposition’s stance on women’s representation.
Opposition leaders maintained that their position stemmed from concerns over the sequencing of delimitation and representation, reiterating that they would not support the legislation in its present form.
The development marks a rare instance of a constitutional amendment introduced by the BJP government failing to secure passage in the Lok Sabha.