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2mo ago

Lok Sabha Defeats Bill Linking Women’s Quota to Delimitation

The defeat sets up a fresh fight over implementing 33% reservation without redrawing seats.

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A security officer takes photograph of Indian women lawmakers as they pose outside Parliament House before the start of the debate on a landmark bill to reserve one-third of seats for women, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo)

Overview

  • The Lok Sabha on Friday backed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill by 298 to 230, which fell short of the two‑thirds majority of 352 and the measure failed.
  • Following the setback, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju pulled the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill that were paired to carry out the plan.
  • The government’s proposal tied the 33% reservation to a delimitation using 2011 Census data and an expansion of the Lok Sabha to about 816 seats to set aside roughly 272 for women.
  • Opposition parties said they would support the quota if it were delinked from delimitation and implemented within the current 543 seats, warning that a population‑based redraw could cut the voice of southern and smaller states.
  • India last redrew Lok Sabha seats using the 1971 Census and the freeze lasts until a Census after 2026, which is why both sides clashed over whether to wait for a new map to put the quota into effect.