The Narendra Modi government faced a major setback in the Lok Sabha on April 18, 2026, as it failed to secure passage of the constitutional amendment bill aimed at increasing the number of seats and implementing women’s reservation. The proposed amendment required a two-thirds majority in the lower house, but the ruling NDA alliance managed only 298 votes in favor against 230 votes opposed. Following the defeat, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that the government would not proceed with the remaining two amendment bills.

The debate in Parliament centered on the 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, as well as the delimitation of constituencies. Home Minister Amit Shah responded to opposition members before the voting took place. During the session, the government unexpectedly implemented the women’s reservation law passed about two and a half years earlier, effective from April 16, 2026.

The defeated 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill had proposed that women’s reservation be enforced based on the redrawing of electoral boundaries, linking the reform to future delimitation exercises.