Delimitation Stalls Women's Quota

In all, 230 Opposition members voted against the bill and forced the government to withdraw the other two Bills — the Delimitation Bill 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill) 2026. These bills were interconnected with the Constitution amendment Bill. Consequently, these three Bills will not be tabled in the Rajya Sabha now.

The ruling NDA strength in the Lok Sabha stands at 292, while the Opposition parties together have 233. This is the first major setback for the NDA government in Parliament and the first Bill to have fallen in the Lok Sabha ever since the NDA came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in 2014.

While withdrawing the two Bills, minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju said the Opposition lost a historic opportunity to honour women, but the Modi government's struggle to give rights to women would continue. The government now plans to turn this defeat to its benefit during the campaign in the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal polls by portraying the Opposition "anti-women".

After the vote, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: “Bharat saw it. I.N.D.I.A. stopped it,” Mr Gandhi said. DMK supremo and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said Tamil Nadu had defeated Delhi.

The government, meanwhile, late on Thursday, issued a notification stating that the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act 2023, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhinyam 2023, which guarantees a 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies, will come into force from April 16.

As per the 2023 Act, the quota for women will take effect after the delimitation exercise to be carried out after the ongoing 2026 census but on the basis of existing 543 seats. The Constitution amendment bill proposed to increase the Lok Sabha seats to 850 through delimitation without the ongoing census results.

Earlier, countering the government in the House, Rahul Gandhi said if the Prime Minister was serious in providing women reservation, he should implement the 2023 Act, and the Opposition would happily support it.

"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," Gandhi said.

For the government, which had called a special session in the midst of the ongoing Assembly elections to get these legislations cleared, it was a Herculean task to convince the opposing parties for their support. It had initiated back channel talks with several MPs for support, but the Opposition managed to keep its flock together to defeat the bills.

Several Trinamul Congress and DMK MPs who were busy campaigning in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, respectively, flew down to New Delhi to vote and then dashed back to states.

According to sources, Gandhi called up TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee to thank him for the support and playing a crucial role in defeating the bills. During her poll campaigns, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said her party supported women's reservation but not the delimitation law associated with it.

Both during the debate on the Bills and after the defeat, Gandhi and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties made it clear that they were not against reservation but against the “backdoor” delimitation plans of the government without waiting for the result of the 2026 census.

The Opposition accused the government of trying to change the demographic map of the country to win elections and setting up a delimitation commission that would work in an "authoritative" manner like the Election Commission.

“The bill has fallen. They tried to use unconstitutional methods to break the constitution. Ahead of voting, the Prime Minister had urged all parties to come together for the “historic legislation”. He said the government has addressed all apprehensions and misconceptions relating to the legislation with facts and logic.

“All concerns have been addressed and any gaps in information have also been filled. For nearly four decades, this issue of women’s reservation in legislative bodies has been inordinately delayed. Now is the time to ensure that half of the nation’s population receives its rightful due in decision-making," the Prime Minister said in a social media post.

"Even after so many decades of Independence, it is not right that women in India have such limited representation in this area… I urge and appeal to all political parties to reflect carefully and take a sensitive decision by voting in favour of women’s reservation. On behalf of our Nari Shakti, I also request all members not to do anything that may hurt the sentiments of women across India. Crores of women are watching us…our intent and our decisions,” Mr Modi posted.

While replying to the debate, Union home minister Amit Shah offered the Opposition an official amendment mentioning a 50 per cent increase in the Lok Sabha seats in all states and Union territories if they support the amended bill.

"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," Shah said.

Following the defeat, Shah blamed the Congress, the TMC, the DMK, and the 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. 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," said Shah in a post on X.