Women’s Reservation Bill defeated in LS

The bill aimed at amending the Women’s Reservation and establishing a delimitation commission was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday. 

A total of 278 voted “Ayes” and 211 voted “Noes”.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill voting took place through a division vote.

The introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at enabling Women’s Reservation and facilitating delimitation, was approved in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, following a division of votes in the House. The development came after the Opposition pressed for a recorded vote, leading to a formal division process.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill 2026 and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, were introduced.

Earlier, the Lok Sabha had voted in favour of introducing the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, after the Opposition demanded a division.

Following the use of vote slips, the distribution stood at 251 in support and 185 against, announced Speaker Om Birla, adding that it is subject to change.

The Lok Sabha typically relies on voice voting to pass motions; however, when the outcome is contested, a “division” is conducted. In such cases, the Automatic Vote Recorder system is used to register votes under “Ayes”, “Noes”, and “Abstain”.

It is worth noting that the constitution needed 360 MPs' votes for the bill to pass, while the NDA government has 297 MPs and the INDIA Bloc has 234 MPs. The strength of LS is 540 MPS. 

The Opposition had insisted on a division as the House took up voting on the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill. The motion required a simple majority to be carried, and the voting process was conducted accordingly amid heightened political engagement.