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In a major legislative setback for the government, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to implement women's reservation starting from the 2029 general elections, was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The defeat has triggered a wave of political manoeuvring, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi reaching out to TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to consolidate the opposition's stance. Following the results, high-level communication between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) signalled a victory for the united opposition front. Sources within the AITC confirmed that Rahul Gandhi held a telephonic conversation with Abhishek Banerjee shortly after the session. "After the Bill was defeated, Rahul Gandhi called Abhishek Banerjee to thank him for playing a crucial role in defeating this Bill," a top AITC source stated. The opposition's primary contention has been centred on the delay of the reservation until 2029 and its linkage to the controversial Delimitation Bill, which many parties argue would unfairly penalise states that have successfully managed population growth. The collapse of the 131st Amendment led to the immediate stalling of the government's broader legislative agenda for the day. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the government would no longer pursue the two related pieces of legislation, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. The Delimitation Bill, in particular, had been a flashpoint of contention, with the BJP asserting it would dismantle "dynastic politics" while the opposition viewed it as a tool for political gerrymandering. The defeat underscores the rigorous nature of amending India's founding document. Beyond the two-thirds requirement in both Houses of Parliament, any amendment affecting the representation of states, as the Women's Reservation and Delimitation bills do, would also have required ratification by at least half of the State Legislatures. In the division that took place following the debate on the three bills, 298 members supported the bill while 230 voted against it. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the results of the division. "The Constitution (131st Amendment) Amendment Bill did not pass as it did not achieve a 2/3 majority during voting in the House," he said. (ANI)
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