{"id":15638,"date":"2026-04-23T08:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T03:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=15638"},"modified":"2026-04-23T08:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T03:02:28","slug":"indias-131st-constitutional-amendment-bill-fails-in-lok-sabha-proposal-for-womens-reservation-and-seat-expansion-stalled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=15638","title":{"rendered":"India’s 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill Fails in Lok Sabha; Proposal for Women’s Reservation and Seat Expansion Stalled<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW DELHI \u2014 The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, which sought to expand the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies and implement women’s reservation, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Friday.<\/p>\n

A total of 298 members voted in favor of the bill, while 230 voted against it. A minimum of 352 votes was needed to pass a constitutional amendment. With the proposal failing to pass, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi suffered a rare defeat in parliament.<\/p>\n

The government-proposed bill aimed to pave the way for 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, as well as to increase the number of parliamentary constituencies from 543 to approximately 850. According to the proposal, the size of parliament and state assemblies needed to be increased by around 55 percent before the upcoming elections. The government argued that this expansion was necessary considering population changes since the 1971 census.<\/p>\n

While opposition parties supported the principle of women’s reservation, they opposed the form of the bill. They stated that by linking women’s reservation with delimitation of constituencies and seat expansion, the government was attempting to bring about widespread changes to the electoral structure. According to the opposition, such a move amounts to tampering with constitutional balance.<\/p>\n

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress and the opposition in the Lok Sabha, commented on social media platform X after the vote, stating that the amendment bill had failed and that an attempt had been made to weaken the constitution in the name of women.<\/p>\n

A heated debate took place between the government and opposition during parliamentary discussions. Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of opposing women’s reservation, warning that the country’s women would not forgive such behavior. He said in the house, “This bill is linked to women’s rights, and those who oppose it will pay a political price.”<\/p>\n

Later, posting on X, he accused the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, and Samajwadi Party of blocking the bill.<\/p>\n

The ruling side has stated that the government remains committed to the issue of women’s reservation and will not back down. However, the opposition has claimed that the government brought the bill knowing full well it did not have a two-thirds majority. According to opposition leaders, the aim was to make women’s reservation a political issue and portray opposition parties as anti-women.<\/p>\n

In 2023, the Indian parliament passed a law agreeing to reserve one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. However, that provision was linked to a census and subsequent delimitation of constituencies. With the census process ongoing, there was a possibility that the provision might not be implemented until after 2029. The current bill appears to be an attempt by the government to accelerate this process.<\/p>\n

The issue of delimitation has particularly raised concerns in the states of southern India. Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu currently have 129 Lok Sabha seats, while northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have roughly the same number. Leaders from southern states fear that delimitation based on a new census could further increase the parliamentary influence of northern India, affecting regional balance. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has taken a firm stance on this issue, warning of widespread protests if the state’s representation is affected. The opposition claims that linking women’s reservation with delimitation has only strengthened these concerns.<\/p>\n

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