Rijiju Slams Opposition After Women’s Quota–Delimitation Bill Fails in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, April 2026 : Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday strongly criticised the Opposition following the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, calling it a missed “historic opportunity” to advance women’s empowerment and electoral reform.

The Bill, which sought to introduce 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and expand the strength of the Lok Sabha, secured 298 votes in favour and 230 against. However, it failed to meet the two-thirds majority required for a constitutional amendment, leading to its rejection.

Expressing disappointment over the outcome, Rijiju said the legislation was a crucial step toward ensuring greater representation and rights for women in the country. “This was a historic and important Bill aimed at giving respect and rights to the women of India. The Opposition did not support it. It is very unfortunate,” he said, addressing the House after the voting.

He further remarked that the Opposition had lost a significant opportunity to be part of a transformative reform. “This historic moment was an opportunity which you have lost,” he added.

The Minister also pointed out that the Constitution Amendment Bill was closely linked to two other proposed legislations — the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. He emphasised that these Bills were interconnected and could not be considered independently.

“Besides the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the other two Bills are intrinsically interrelated, and therefore cannot be viewed in isolation,” Rijiju said. He confirmed that in light of the defeat, the government would not proceed with the remaining two Bills.

The proposed amendment aimed to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 850 seats, as part of a long-pending delimitation exercise to redraw constituency boundaries based on updated population data. It also sought to implement the long-promised 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, which was to take effect after the delimitation process.

The government had argued that the expansion was necessary to address the growing gap between the number of voters and their elected representatives, as constituency boundaries have remained unchanged since the 1971 Census.

However, Opposition parties opposed the Bill, alleging that linking women’s reservation with delimitation could politically benefit certain regions, particularly northern states with higher population growth, while disadvantaging southern states.

Despite the setback, Rijiju asserted that the government, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, would continue its efforts to secure greater representation and rights for women in the future.