The Lok Sabha on Friday rejected a key Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at implementing women’s reservation in elections by 2029, as it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
Out of 528 members who participated in the voting, 298 MPs supported the bill while 230 opposed it. However, the tally fell short of the special majority required for constitutional amendments, with the government needing at least 352 votes for passage.
Announcing the outcome, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stated that the bill could not be passed as it did not achieve the necessary majority in the House.
The proposed amendment was linked to the Women’s Reservation Act, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It sought to introduce 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by 2029. The proposal also included provisions to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats and carry out delimitation based on existing Census data.
The government maintained that these measures were essential to implement the reservation system before the next general elections. However, opposition parties strongly objected, particularly to the proposal for delimitation without conducting a fresh Census.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi criticised the bill, arguing that it was not genuinely aimed at empowering women but at restructuring the electoral framework. He urged the government to implement the existing law instead, assuring the opposition’s support.
In response, Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the bill and criticised the opposition for blocking it, warning that women voters might question such resistance in the future.
Following the bill’s rejection, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government would not proceed with two related bills, including those concerning delimitation and Union Territories laws. He later withdrew the proposals, after which the House was adjourned.
The bill was discussed during a special three-day session of Parliament. Its rejection means that, for now, the plan to implement women’s reservation through this route before 2029 has been put on hold.
