Women’s Reservation Delimitation Bill Fails in Lok Sabha Despite 298 Votes in Favour

Women’s reservation linked with Lok Sabha seat expansion failed to pass after the government fell short of the required two-thirds majority.

April 18, 2026 | New Delhi: In a significant political setback, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at implementing women’s reservation alongside a nationwide delimitation exercise, failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. Despite garnering 298 votes in favour, the bill fell short of the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority, which required 352 votes out of the 528 members present and voting. A total of 230 members opposed the legislation. The proposed amendment sought to introduce women’s reservation in Parliament while simultaneously redrawing constituency boundaries through delimitation. The exercise would have expanded the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats, a move that triggered strong resistance from the opposition.

Leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi led the charge against the bill, arguing that linking reservation with delimitation could delay its implementation and alter political representation disproportionately. Opposition parties maintained that women’s reservation should be implemented independently and immediately, without being tied to a complex and time-consuming redistricting process.

Following the bill’s defeat, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the government would not move forward with two related legislations the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill. The decision indicates a strategic pause by the government after encountering resistance in the Lower House.

The outcome marks a notable parliamentary hurdle for the administration led by Narendra Modi, raising questions about the future roadmap for implementing women’s reservation. Attention now shifts to the Rajya Sabha and whether a revised approach or political consensus can revive the proposal in the coming sessions.

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