Defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 | 18 Apr 2026

Source: TH 

The Lok Sabha failed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which aimed to fast-track the implementation of 33% reservation for women in legislatures (introduced by the 106th Constitutional Amendment (2023)) by enabling delimitation based on the 2011 Census. 

• Withdrawal of Allied Bills: The collapse of the constitutional amendment bill necessitated the immediate withdrawal of dependent statutory legislation, specifically the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. 
• Failure of Special Majority: As per Article 368 of the Indian Constitution, the passage of the Bill required a special majority, specifically, a majority of the total membership of the House and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.  
  • With a House strength of 528, the Bill secured only 298 votes, falling short of the required 352 benchmark. 
• Delimitation and Census Linkage: The legislation sought to end the freeze on parliamentary constituency boundaries, which has been in place since the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) based on the 1971 Census, by enabling delimitation using the 2011 Census.  
  • This was intended to restore the democratic principle of “one person, one vote, one value” by aligning representation with current population patterns.  
  • The freeze, originally meant to continue until the first Census after 2000, was later extended by the 84th Constitutional Amendment (2001) until the first Census after 2026.  
• Federalism Debate (North-South Divide): The primary legislative roadblock was the demographic disparity between states.  
  • Opposition members argued that population-based delimitation would penalize Southern states for effective population control, demanding the complete delinking of women's reservation from the delimitation exercise. 
• The 106th Constitutional Amendment, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam): Providing 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, came into force on 16th April 2026.  
  • However, its actual implementation is deferred because Article 334A links it to a delimitation exercise after the next Census (post‑ 2027), making it unlikely to take effect before around 2034. 
  • To address this delay, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, along with allied legislation, was introduced in the Lok Sabha to advance the implementation of women’s reservation to 2029.