Women’s reservation bill defeated in Lok Sabha; fails to get 2/3 majority

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
NEW DELHI, APRIL 17 (STC): A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats of the Lok Sabha was defeated today in the Lower House of the Parliament.
According to the reports, the Bill was defeated for not securing the required two-thirds majority. 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it.
Subsequently, the Union government said it will not move ahead with two related Bills, saying that they cannot be viewed in isolation. Expressing disappointment over the defeat of the Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said this is a missed opportunity for consensus on an important reform.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (April 17, 2026) replied to the debate. He said an imbalance in ratio of voters to MPs can be corrected through delimitation. He also said that the Congress deprived people of delimitation when it was in power, and it is still doing the same.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Lok Sabha, said the Constitution Amendment Bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation, but is an attempt by the government to change the country’s electoral map by taking away representation from southern, northeastern and smaller States, which is “nothing short of an anti-national act”.
The Women’s Reservation Act 2023, which gave 33% quota to women in legislatures, came into force on Thursday (April 16, 2026), according to a notification issued by the Union Law Ministry. It is, however, not immediately known why the 2023 act was notified with effect from April 16, 2026, in the midst of the debate in Parliament to amend the same law for its implementation in 2029.

(Straight Talk Communications I Input from agencies)