New Delhi, April 17 – The Constitution Amendment Bill to expand Lok Sabha to 850 seats and to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 was defeated in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) on Friday as it did not get the required two-thirds majority.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority. Photo: X/@sansad_tv
Subsequently, the Union government said it will not move ahead with two related Bills, saying that they cannot be viewed in isolation.
Expressing disappointment over the defeat of the Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said this is a missed opportunity for consensus on an important reform.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah said an imbalance in ratio of voters to MPs can be corrected through delimitation. He also said that the Congress deprived people of delimitation when it was in power, and it is still doing the same.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Lok Sabha, said the Constitution Amendment Bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation, but is an attempt by the government to change the country’s electoral map by taking away representation from southern, northeastern and smaller States, which is “nothing short of an anti-national act”.
END
