Women’s reservation bill falls short in Lok Sabha. What happened?

The women’s reservation bill has been defeated in the Lok Sabha.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was voted down in the Lok Sabha after two days of debate. The Centre had convened a special session of Parliament that began on April 16 and is set to end on April 18.

Leaders in the Opposition, including Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and MK Stalin, are celebrating the development.

But what do we know? Why did the bill fail? What about the other bills?

Let’s take a closer look.

What happened?

The Centre had tabled three bills in the Lok Sabha – the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

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What is the Women’s Reservation Bill, and why does India need it?

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, sought to amend the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023 – also known as the Women’s Reservation Act.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Special session of Parliament, in New Delhi, April 16, 2026. Sansad TV via PTI

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which was passed by Parliament in September 2023 almost unanimously, reserves 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women.

Why did the bill fail to advance?

The bill failed to advance in the Lok Sabha on Friday evening.

Under the rules of the House, a Constitution amendment bill can be passed only by a two-thirds majority of those present. Those present should not be less than one-half of the strength of the House.

Despite 298 MPs voting for it and 230 voting against it, the bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority. With an effective strength of 537 in the Lok Sabha, the magic mark is 360 votes. The ruling NDA, with 293 members including 240 BJP MPs, was short by 67 seats.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the result of the division following the vote. ANI

Prior to the vote, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had appealed to the Opposition not to vote against the bill. “Let all of us not miss this important opportunity to give reservation to women. I have come to appeal to you – do not see this from a political lens, this is in the national interest,” Modi said, as per NDTV.

The BJP knew it was short of the votes needed. As per India Today, Modi on Thursday said, “Numbers ka game samay tay karega” (time will decide the numbers issue).

What about the other bills?

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has withdrawn the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill in the aftermath of the vote.

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju explained that this is being done because these other bills were linked to the Constitutional (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026.

What about the reactions?

The Opposition is overjoyed.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on X, “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution. India has seen it. INDIA has stopped it. Hail the Constitution.”

“The cunning and sly attempt by the Prime Minister and Home Minister to link women's reservation (on which a decision had already been taken) with their dangerous delimitation proposals has been decisively defeated in the Lok Sabha. This is a victory for our democratic system, our federal structure, and our Constitution,” Jairam Ramesh added.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hailed the development.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor told ANI, “It has been a very convincing victory. The BJP fell 52 votes short of the two-thirds they needed to pass the constitutional amendment... We are feeling a certain sense of triumph. This is not a vote against women's reservation, but against delimitation and the mischief that delimitation and the dramatic expansion of Parliament would do to our democracy, so we voted to save our democracy...”

He added that the Opposition would vote for women’s reservation on its own merit.

“We have said even in our speeches that we will vote for women's reservation if you will delink it from delimitation. It is against their refusal to delink this that we have voted...”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called the development a ‘big win for democracy’.

MK Stalin wrote on social media, “Tamil Nadu has defeated Delhi.”

“We never opposed the Women’s Reservation Bill. We were against those who sought to usurp women’s rights,” Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, prior to the vote, warned that stalling women’s reservation is ‘ruthless politics’. Shah said that the Congress opposes PM Modi’s decisions without thinking. Shah added that the Congress will, in the upcoming elections, face the wrath of women for opposing the bill.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 11:00 AM tomorrow (April 18).

FAQs

1. Why did the women’s reservation bill fail in the Lok Sabha?

It failed because it did not secure the required two-thirds majority of 360.

2. What does the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam provide?

It reserves 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women.

3. What happened to the Delimitation and Union Territories bills?

Both bills were withdrawn by the government as they were linked to the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.

With inputs from agencies