The Lok Sabha recently rejected the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, which aimed to implement a 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The vote, which concluded on Friday evening, resulted in 298 votes in favor and 230 against, following an extensive two-day debate. During this discussion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah cautioned the opposition that the women of India would be closely observing their actions. In response, the opposition accused the government of using the issue of women’s reservation as a façade to push for delimitation that could negatively impact southern states.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, stated that the other two related bills would not be addressed following the defeat of the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill 2026.
This marks the first instance in 12 years where a constitutional amendment proposed by the Modi administration has failed to pass. The Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill 2026, being a constitutional amendment, required a special majority in both Houses for approval, necessitating two-thirds of the votes from those present, which must not be less than half the total membership of the House. Given that the Lok Sabha currently comprises 540 members, at least 360 votes were needed for the bill to succeed.
During the debate, Shah accused the opposition of obstructing progress on women’s reservation under the pretense of various excuses. Just hours before the vote, PM Modi expressed on social media platform X that the government had resolved all concerns regarding the legislation with clarity and logic. He emphasized that the issue of women’s representation in legislative bodies has been unduly delayed for nearly four decades and called for political parties to make a thoughtful decision by supporting the reservation.
Modi further urged all members to avoid actions that could offend women across the nation, reminding them that millions of women are closely observing the proceedings and the decisions made by their representatives.
Despite the government’s efforts to garner support for the Bill, it proceeded to a vote after failing to persuade the opposition, which had united against it since Wednesday. Sources indicated that the government attempted to engage the Samajwadi Party and other opposition entities in a final effort to salvage the Bills, but these negotiations were unsuccessful.
A meeting of key BJP leaders, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, took place in Parliament to discuss a strategy moving forward. A senior BJP official acknowledged the party lacked the necessary numbers to pass the Bills and indicated that the opposition would need to explain their stance to the public. Another minister suggested that the party intended to engage with the public later in the evening.
An NDA leader hinted at a potential strategy where the party may allow the Bills to be defeated to position itself as a defender of women’s rights. They mentioned that the opposition’s unity against the Bills left the government with no choice but to adopt this narrative, while also stating that withdrawing the Bills would not be favorable.
A senior figure from the opposition confirmed that efforts were made to reach out to certain parties, but the opposition remains united in its stance. They asserted that the issue of delimitation must be postponed, thus rendering any agreement on the Bills untenable, regardless of any proposed assurances regarding proportional representation in the Delimitation Bill.
