Government Faces Defeat Over Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Votes Against Women's Reservation Bill
A file image of Lok Sabha session (Photo:PTI)
New Delhi, April 18: In a significant blow to the government, a proposed Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at establishing a 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies by 2029 and increasing Lok Sabha seats to 816 was rejected. The ruling party maintained that it would persist in advocating for women's rights.
During the voting in Lok Sabha, 298 members supported the bill, while 230 opposed it. A total of 528 members participated in the vote, with the bill needing 352 votes to achieve a two-thirds majority.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill sought to raise Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 816 to facilitate the women's reservation law ahead of the 2029 elections, following a delimitation process based on the 2011 Census.
Additionally, the bill proposed increasing seats in state and Union Territory assemblies to ensure 33% reservation for women.
Notable figures present during the voting included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
This marked the first instance of a bill being defeated in Parliament under the Modi administration.
Following the defeat, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla adjourned the session for the day, with plans to reconvene on Saturday.
The special three-day session was convened from April 16 to 18 to seek Parliament's approval for the bill.
After the bill's defeat, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Speaker that the government would not proceed with two other related bills—the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill—since they were connected to the Constitution Amendment Bill.
Rijiju remarked that the opposition missed a crucial chance to honor women in the country, but emphasized that the Modi government would continue its efforts to secure women's rights.
In response to the bill's failure, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Congress, TMC, DMK, and the Samajwadi Party for obstructing its passage. He expressed dismay at the opposition's celebration following the defeat, labeling it as unacceptable.
Earlier, in an effort to garner support for the bill, Shah had promised an official amendment to increase Lok Sabha seats by 50% across all states and Union territories if the opposition backed the women's reservation initiative. However, the opposition remained unmoved.
Shah accused the opposition of opposing women's reservation in both Lok Sabha and state assemblies, as well as the increase in SC and ST seats.
He dismissed claims that the Constitution amendment bill was intended to delay caste enumeration during the census.
During the debate, Gandhi asserted that the bill was not genuinely about women's reservation but rather an attempt to manipulate the electoral landscape for power retention, calling it a disgraceful act.
Shah also refuted the notion that southern states would face discrimination during the delimitation process.
He clarified that the Constitution does not endorse reservations based on religion, countering claims regarding Muslim women's reservations.
After the bill's defeat, Gandhi urged the Prime Minister to introduce the 2023 law for women's reservation in Parliament, assuring that the opposition would fully support it.