The Lok Sabha witnessed high drama on Friday as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to pass the parliamentary test. The legislation, which sought to implement a 33 per cent reservation for women alongside a delimitation exercise to increase House seats to 816, fell short of the required two-thirds majority. While 298 members voted in favour, 230 voted against, leading the government to abandon the linked Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill.

Congress leads charge against ‘unconstitutional trick’

The Congress party immediately framed the Bill’s defeat as a historic win for the Constitution. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged the legislation was an "unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution". Speaking outside Parliament, he said, "this was not a women's bill, but an attempt to change India's electoral structure," and challenged Prime Minister Modi to implement the 2023 law immediately instead. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of a "nefarious attempt" to harm democracy by using "half of the country's population as a shield" to carry out delimitation.

Internal party voices were equally sharp, with General Secretary Jairam Ramesh describing the defeat as a victory for federalism that calls into question the legitimacy of the "non-biological, non-grihasthi PM". Priyanka Gandhi Vadra argued that the government’s insistence on linking the quota to the old census and delimitation made its passage "impossible". Responding to BJP’s "anti-women" accusations, she pointed to the government’s record in Hathras, Unnao and Manipur, stating those who did nothing for women wrestlers "are now talking about an anti-women mentality".

In the states, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal labelled the move a "victory of democracy" against an attempt to hastily introduce delimitation. MP Jothimani said the 2023 Bill is "alive" and can be implemented today if the government were "genuine". Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel added that the Bill was a "hurry" move intended to "divert people's attention" from rising fuel and gas prices.

Government slams ‘anti-women’ opposition alliance

The treasury benches reacted strongly, led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who warned that the opposition would face the "anger of women" at "every level, in every election". Shah defended the Bill as a means to achieve "one person, one vote, one value", and noted that the southern states' share of seats would rise from 23.76 per cent to 23.87 per cent after delimitation. He also alleged Congress has been the "biggest opponent" of OBCs, claiming it "shelved" the Kaka Kalelkar and Mandal Commission reports for decades.

Union Ministers condemned the vote. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar posted that the "insult meted out today to Nari Shakti will never be forgiven". Mansukh Mandaviya alleged that "stripping women of their rights is an old and corrupt mindset of the Congress", while Kiren Rijiju said nothing could be "more tragic" than the opposition celebrating the Bill’s failure. Pralhad Joshi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat termed it a "dark day", with Shekhawat accusing Rahul Gandhi of "immature politics".

State leaders and MPs joined the criticism. Tripura CM Manik Saha called it a "black day" that "shattered... millions of sisters' trust". BJP MP Baijayant Panda said "history will not be kind to those who stood in the way of women's empowerment", while Tejasvi Surya and Jagdambika Pal accused the opposition of "betrayal" and "insulting half the population". Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and MP Naresh Bansal said Congress had "strangled the rights of women's power" to oppose the Prime Minister.

Regional blocs unite over federalism concerns

INDIA bloc regional partners described the outcome as a check on dilution of state powers. Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin thanked Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal and Uddhav Thackeray, calling the Bill a "political tool to divide the country along North-South lines". DMK MP Kanimozhi questioned why reservation cannot be given within the current 543 seats, saying "you are insulting women" by linking it to seat increases. She added that "justice has been done with the southern states".

BJD in Odisha hailed the outcome with "Satyameva Jayate!". Manas Ranjan Mangaraj called it a "crucial victory for states like Odisha", while Arun Kumar Sahoo said the BJP’s "design to take pride over women reservation has failed". Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party "drew a Lakshman Rekha" to stop the government from "snatching the rights of women". SP MP Dimple Yadav suggested women were being used as a "shield", while Iqra Hasan said the Bill must be brought without tweaks or risk being called "anti-women".

TMC’s Derek O’Brien called it the "beginning of the end for Narendra and Amit", while June Maliah urged 50 per cent reservation without delimitation linkage. CPI leader P. Sandosh Kumar compared it to the farmers’ movement, calling it a "clear political setback". Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan called the framework a "conspiracy" to weaken regional power, saying women benefit only if quota is implemented "within the numbers we already have".