Women’s Reservation Bill Falls Short of Two-Thirds Majority

New Delhi (IANS): The Lok Sabha witnessed a dramatic legislative setback on Friday as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass. Although the Bill secured a simple majority with 298 votes in favor and 230 against, it fell short of the mandatory two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.

The ambitious Bill sought to expand the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 850 seats and implement a 33% reservation for women in legislatures starting in 2029. This reform relied heavily on a new delimitation exercise, which would redraw electoral boundaries based on current population data rather than the frozen 1971 Census figures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded the government’s push for the Bill. Shah accused the Congress of historically blocking delimitation and argued that linking the women’s quota to redrawn boundaries was the only way to ensure fair representation. He warned that women across India would “closely watch” the opposition’s stance.

However, the opposition countered that the government used women’s empowerment as a “cover” for a political maneuver. They argued the move would unfairly favor northern states with high population growth while penalizing southern states that have successfully stabilized their demographics.

Following the defeat, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the government would not move forward with two related proposals—the Delimitation Bill and the amendment to extend the women’s quota to Union Territories.

The Bill’s rejection exposes deep political fault lines regarding regional representation and gender equality. While Parliament laid the groundwork for a women’s quota in 2023, this defeat pushes its actual implementation further into a state of uncertainty.