In a significant political development on April 19, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which sought to advance the implementation of 33% women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies without waiting for Census and delimitation — failed to get the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. The bill, which needed support from at least 362 MPs in the Lower House, fell short as the opposition INDIA bloc voted against specific provisions, while several NDA allies abstained.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced by the NDA government, was designed to remove the condition that linked the implementation of the 33% women’s reservation law (already enacted as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) to a future Census and delimitation exercise. The 2023 Act required that reservation could only be implemented after the first Census following its commencement and after delimitation based on that Census.

The 131st Amendment Bill also proposed amending Article 334A to allow immediate implementation targeting the 2029 General Elections. It included a mandatory sub-quota for women within SC/ST reserved seats and a rotation mechanism for reserved constituencies after each delimitation cycle. The bill had a sunset clause valid for 15 years, extendable by Parliament.

The Constitution Amendment Bill failed primarily because the opposition INDIA alliance — particularly the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and TMC — opposed the bill on the grounds that it removed the linkage with the Census and delimitation. Opposition leaders argued that delimitation could reduce the number of seats from southern states, which would hurt those states disproportionately. Several OBC leaders also raised the demand for OBC sub-quota within the women’s reservation, which was absent from the bil

Even as the 2026 bill headed towards defeat, the government made a significant procedural move to ensure that women’s reservation was not entirely derailed. During the debate on the 131st Amendment Bill, the government re-notified the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) in the Official Gazette. This means the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act — which provides for 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies — remains legally operational, even though its implementation still technically depends on Census and delimitation.

This Gazette re-notification is seen as a political masterstroke by the government. Even though the 131st Amendment Bill failed, the re-notification reinforces that the commitment to women’s reservation remains alive. It also gives the ruling party political ammunition to argue that the opposition blocked the fast-track implementation of reservation while the

What Does This Mean for Women’s Political Representation?

The failure of the 131st Amendment Bill means that women’s reservation will still be linked to Census and delimitation. India’s current Lok Sabha has only about 14-15% women MPs, one of the lowest among major democracies. Countries like Rwanda (61%), Iceland (47%), and even neighboring Nepal (33%) have significantly better female representation. Activists and women’s rights organizations condemned the bill’s failure as a setback for gender equality in Indian democracy.

However, there is cautious optimism. The government’s Gazette re-notification ensures the legal framework remains alive. Once the next Census (expected by 2027) and delimitation are completed, the path to implementing 33% women’s reservation in the 2029 General Elections could still be viable.

With the Rajya Sabha also not in session and the bill requiring a special majority in both Houses, the government had no option but to accept defeat. Times of India reported that this may have been a calculated strategic move by the government, allowing it to blame the opposition for blocking women’s empowerment while simultaneously finding a way to operationalize the reservation through an alternative legal route.

Government’s Strategic Move: Reviving the 2023 Gazette Notification