New Delhi:A key Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at modifying thewomen’s reservationframework failed to pass the Lok Sabha test on Friday after falling short of the required two-thirds majority when put to a vote. Following the setback, the Centre decided not to proceed with two associated bills, namely the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, both of which were seen as crucial to operationalising women's quota in specific regions. The proposed constitutional amendment was intended to fine-tune the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which mandates 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
1. Delimitation Bill, 2026 – Put on Hold / Effectively Shelved
The government had linked women’s reservation to a major delimitation exercise, which proposed:
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the bills are interconnected, and without the constitutional amendment passing, the delimitation framework cannot move ahead.
2. Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill - Also Withdrawn
Since it was dependent on the same restructuring plan, it has also been dropped along with the delimitation bill. However, after the women’s quota bill failed, the Centre decided it cannot proceed with the delimitation proposal in its current form.
Under constitutional provisions, any amendment bill requires the support of at least two-thirds of members present and voting. Despite securing 298 votes in favour against 230 opposing it, the ruling NDA fell short of this number. With approximately 293 MPs, around 54% of the Lok Sabha, the alliance lacked the numbers needed to push the bill through without additional backing or abstentions from opposition members.
The legislative push was part of a special three-day Parliament session, which also sought to pave the way for implementing the quota by 2029. A key proposal included increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats, linked to a future delimitation exercise based on the most recent census.
However, the Opposition strongly opposed the proposed amendments from the outset, raising concerns over the sequencing of delimitation and reservation as well as the potential political implications for different states.
In the Rajya Sabha, the numbers present a more favourable scenario for the NDA, which holds about 141 seats, roughly 58% of the House, compared to the Opposition’s 83. Despite this, the failure in the Lok Sabha effectively stalls the legislative process for now.
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