A united Opposition on Friday (April 17, 2026) defeated the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to redistribute Lok Sabha seats on the basis of the 2011 Census to expedite the implementation of women’s reservation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Opposition of playing “ruthless politics” and warned that it would face the “wrath of women” voters. A total of 298 members voted in favour of the Bill and 230 against it, with the House strength at the time of voting being 528. It failed to meet the two-thirds majority mark of 352 required for a Constitution Amendment Bill to pass. Following the defeat, the government withdrew two allied legislations — the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 — which were linked to the constitutional amendment.
