Setback for govt: Lok Sabha rejects Women’s Reservation Bill, falls short of two-thirds majority
April 17, 2026
The Women’s Reservation Bill has failed to pass in the Lok Sabha after falling short of the required two-thirds majority needed for a Constitutional amendment. The Bill, which aimed to provide 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies while also proposing delimitation changes, was defeated with 298 votes in favour and 230 against. The outcome marks a significant setback for the government, with opposition parties raising concerns over the timing, structure, and provisions of the legislation, particularly around delimitation without a fresh Census.
In a significant legislative defeat for the Indian government, the Lok Sabha on Friday rejected a constitutional amendment bill aimed at fast-tracking the implementation of a 33 percent reservation for women in the lower house of Parliament and state assemblies. The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, marking a major setback for the long-debated policy of enhancing female representation in the country's legislative bodies. During the vote, 298 members of parliament voted in favor, while 230 opposed it, falling short of the 352 votes needed for passage.
The government had presented the bill as an effort to expedite the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, a landmark act passed in 2023 that constitutionally mandated the one-third quota for women. That law, however, linked the quota's implementation to a future census and a subsequent delimitation exercise, delaying its rollout until at least 2029. The amendment proposed on April 17 sought to bypass this timeline by using the 2011 census to conduct a delimitation, or redrawing of electoral constituencies, which would have also increased the total number of Lok Sabha seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to lawmakers to support the bill, framing it as a matter of national interest.
The bill's failure stemmed from a unified opposition that vehemently objected to the linkage between women's reservation and the contentious issue of delimitation. Opposition parties, including the Indian National Congress and regional forces from southern states, accused the government of using the popular women's quota as a "guise" to push through a politically charged restructuring of the electoral map. They argued that redrawing constituencies based on the 2011 population data would unfairly reduce the political representation of southern and northeastern states, which have been more successful in controlling population growth, while benefiting more populous northern states where the ruling party has a stronger base.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi labeled the bill an "attack on the Constitution" and an "anti-national act," asserting that its true purpose was not to empower women but to alter India's federal electoral structure. This sentiment was echoed by leaders from across the opposition, who had stated their readiness to pass the women's reservation if it was decoupled from the delimitation exercise. The government's defeat was celebrated by some as a "big win for democracy," preventing what they saw as an attempt to undermine the country's federal balance.
Following the bill's failure, the government announced it would not proceed with two associated pieces of legislation, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, acknowledging that the three were interconnected. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition of missing a historic opportunity to empower women. The path forward for the Women's Reservation Act now remains tied to the original conditions set in the 2023 law, meaning its implementation is unlikely for several years, pending a new national census and the complex political process of delimitation that must follow.
Source: economictimes_indiatimes