New Delhi: In a major setback to the government, a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday, with the ruling dispensation asserting that the struggle to give the rights to women will continue.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill in Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority.
According to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to “operationalise” the women’s reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Seats were also to be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were among those present during the voting.
This was for the first time a bill under the Modi government was defeated in Parliament.
After the legislation was defeated during the voting, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House for the day and announced that it would meet again on Saturday.
The three-day special sitting was convened from April 16 to 18 for getting the Parliament’s approval to the bill.
When the Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju conveyed to the Speaker that the government has no intention to move ahead with the two other bills — the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill — as both the legislations were interlinked with the Constitution Amendment Bill.
Rijiju said the Opposition lost a historic opportunity to honour the country’s women but the Modi government’s struggle to give rights to women will continue.
“We will not take rest till we ensure that the country’s women get reservation in legislatures,” he said.
After the bill was defeated, Union Home Minister Amit Shah blamed Congress, TMC, DMK, and Samajwadi Party for not allowing its passage.
He said after the bill was defeated, the opposition parties were celebrating and raising victory cries which is beyond imagination and condemnable.
“Now, the women of the country will not get the 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, which was their right. The Congress and its allies have done this not for the first time, but repeatedly. Their mindset is neither in the interest of women nor of the country,” he said in a post on X in Hindi.
Shah said this “insult to the women of the country will not stop here but will travel far and wide”.
“The opposition will have to face the wrath of women not only in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, but at every level, in every election, and at every place,” he said.
Earlier, in a bid to get the bill passed, while replying to the two-day long debate, Shah assured the opposition of an official amendment mentioning a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats in all states and Union territories if the opposition parties support the women’s reservation bill. However, the opposition did not budge.
“The women’s reservation amendment bill will fall flat if the opposition does not vote in its favour. But women of the country are watching who the obstacle is,” he said.
The home minister alleged that the opposition parties are against women’s reservation in Lok Sabha and state assemblies as well as an increase in the number of SC, ST seats.
“If anyone hears this discussion carefully, one will realise that nobody opposed the constitutional amendment for women’s reservation. Everyone said ‘we welcome this move’. But all the members of the INDIA group clearly opposed women’s reservation,” Shah said.
The home minister said the Constitution provides for periodic delimitation and that includes provisions for increasing the SC and ST seats in proportion to their growing population.
“In a way, those opposing delimitation are also opposing the increase in SC and ST seats,” he said in a strong rebuttal to opposition’s charges of a hidden agenda behind the government’s proposal of delimitation of constituencies.
The home minister also said that there are 127 seats where there are more than 20 lakh voters and it goes against the spirit of the principle of ‘one person, one vote and one value’.
“At some places, 45 lakh voters have one representative, and at some places, six lakh voters have one representative. As a result, the value of each vote is not equal across constituencies,” he said, adding therefore there was a need for rationalisation of voters in every constituency.
Shah also dismissed the claim that the Constitution amendment bill brought for providing women reservation in legislatures was aimed at delaying caste enumeration during census.
“A meeting of the Union Cabinet in 2025 decided to carry out caste enumeration along with the census exercise and the process has already started,” he said.
Earlier, in social media posts, Modi urged all Lok Sabha MPs to vote in favour of the bill and said the time has come to ensure that half of the nation’s population receives its rightful due in decision-making.
Shortly before the voting on the Constitution Amendment Bill, he urged all members not to do anything that may hurt the sentiments of women across India.
“I would like to appeal to all members of Parliament… Please reflect upon your conscience, remembering the women in your own families. Please do not deprive our ‘nari shakti’ of new opportunities,” he said.
While participating in the debate, Gandhi said the Constitution amendment bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation and is instead an attempt to change the country’s electoral map to retain power — a “shameful act”.
The Congress leader said the proposal does not address women’s empowerment.
“This (bill) is an attempt to change the country’s electoral map, using and hiding behind India’s women,” he said.
Shah also said that a false narrative has been created that the southern states would be discriminated against during the delimitation exercise.
“I want to say that the southern states have as much right over this House as the northern states do. This country should not be divided by a North-South narrative. When we take the oath, we take it with our heart. Those who have taken the oath with the Constitution in hand are trying to create a divide between north and south. We will not allow this,” he said.
Shah said some members have spread the misconception that Muslim women should get reservations but he would like to clarify that the Constitution does not accept reservations based on religion.
After the bill was defeated, Rahul Gandhi said if the prime minister is serious in providing women reservation in Parliament, he should bring the 2023 law and the opposition would extend its support outrightly.
“As I have said, it was an attack on the Constitution and we defeated that. We clearly said that this was not a women’s bill, but an attempt to change India’s electoral structure which we have stopped,” he said.
