Overview
- Parliament rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill after it fell short of the two‑thirds mark, despite 298 votes in favor and 230 against clearing a simple majority.
- The proposal tied 33% reservation for women to a delimitation based on the 2011 Census and an expansion of seats, with the Lok Sabha envisaged to rise to as many as 816 before the 2029 polls.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi used rallies across Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and Medinipur to accuse the Trinamool Congress of betraying women by opposing the measure and to fold the issue into charges of infiltration and corruption.
- Mamata Banerjee said the TMC backs women’s representation and opposed the bill for linking it to delimitation, a step she and other opposition leaders argued would tilt power toward larger northern states.
- West Bengal votes in two phases on April 23 and April 29, and BJP leaders including Amit Shah, Nitin Nabin and Jitan Ram Manjhi are pressing the ‘betrayal’ line as both sides court women voters who could shape the result.