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Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill Defeated; Linked Bills Not Voted
The Centre failed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, with 298 MPs in favour and 230 against. Two linked bills related to delimitation and expanding Lok Sabha seats were not put to a vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed criticism at DMK and Congress over the measures and framed the move as a push for women’s reservation in Parliament.
Why It Matters
The interlinked bills sought to expand the Lok Sabha up to 850 seats and reserve 33% of seats for women, potentially reshaping India's parliamentary balance and gender representation.
Timeline
3 Events
PM Modi critiques DMK and Congress on delimitation and women’s rise
April 17, 2026
PM Narendra Modi criticised DMK for opposing the delimitation, saying the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu would have increased. He accused DMK and Congress of 'one-family politics' and argued that their stance on women rising in Parliament reflects an anti-women ideology. The remarks come as the three interlinked bills, including the Delimitation Bill, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill defeated; linked bills not voted
April 17, 2026
The Centre could not pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha. The bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against. Two other bills linked to the quota exercise were not put to a vote.
Bills introduced in Lok Sabha to expand seats and reserve women
April 16, 2026
The Delimitation Bill, 2026; Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 were introduced in the Lok Sabha. These interlinked legislations aimed to expand the Lok Sabha's strength from 543 to a maximum of 850 seats and provide a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.