New Delhi, April 17: The BJP-led government's push to combine the Women's Reservation Bill with a Delimitation proposal was blocked in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Constitution Amendment Bill failed to pass with 298 in favor and 230 against. Speaker Om Birla confirmed the bill did not secure the necessary two-thirds majority.
Home Minister Amit Shah criticized the opposition for opposing the bill, which seeks to reserve 33% of Lok Sabha seats for women from the 2029 elections. The opposition, while supporting women's reservation, rejected linking it to the Delimitation process, arguing for immediate implementation.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the government's approach an attack on India’s political structure. Other opposition figures, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Shashi Tharoor, decried the attempt to alter the political framework, declaring it a victory for democracy.
The BJP, led by Amit Shah, accused opposition parties like Congress, TMC, and DMK of depriving women of their rights. Despite the government’s claims, opposition parties remained firm that women’s reservation should not be conditional on delimitation.
Following the bill's rejection, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed the government would drop the other bills tied to it. The defeat is a major setback for the government’s reform plans.
