NDA MPs wave banners in protest after women's reservation bill fails in Lok Sabha - Watch

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s women MPs staged a protest on Parliament premises on Friday shortly after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier today, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Amendment Bill, also known as the women's reservation bill, got 298 votes in favour and 230 against it, thereby failing to get the two-thirds majority required.

The Lok Sabha debate, which continued overnight on Thursday and Friday, saw the central government making a forceful pitch, seeking a reservation of 33% of seats in the Lower House of Parliament and state assemblies for women.

According to news agency PTI, the bill aimed at increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.

Separately, two additional bills, including one proposing delimitation and an increase in Lok Sabha seats, were not taken up for voting after the first bill failed, as the Centre stated that both were closely tied to the women’s reservation legislation.

Home Minister Amit Shah slams Opposition

Shortly after the women's reservation bill failed to clear the two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah slammed the Opposition parties. In a post on X, he wrote, "Today, a very strange scene unfolded in the Lok Sabha. The Congress, TMC, DMK, and Samajwadi Party did not allow the passage of the essential Constitution Amendment Bill for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. Rejecting the bill that would grant 33% reservation to women, celebrating it, and raising victory cries over it is truly reprehensible and beyond imagination. Now, the women of the country will not get the 33% reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, which was their right."

Continuing with his attack on the Opposition, Shah noted that the Congress and its allies have done this repeatedly, adding that their mindset is neither in the interest of women nor of the country. Shah, who addressed the Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi, called this an insult to "Nari Shakti" and said that this won't stop here, but would travel far and wide.

He went on to say that the Opposition will have to face the 'wrath of women' not just in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, but at every election and in every place.

Attack on Constitution defeated: Rahul Gandhi

Hours after he addressed the Lok Sabha, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said the Constitution amendment bill introduced by the Central government to tweak the women's quota law was an attack on the Constitution, which has been successfully defeated by the opposition.

Gandhi noted that the bill was not aimed at providing women's reservation; rather, it was an attempt at changing India's electoral structure.

In a direct message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said if he wants the women's bill to be implemented, he should bring the 2023 law and implement it from today. He went on to say that the entire opposition will support the government and ensure women's reservation from today itself.

Priyanka Gandhi slams BJP MPs

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed BJP MPs after they accused the grand old party of being anti-women. She said, “Those who did nothing in Hathras, those who did nothing in Unnao, those who did nothing in Manipur, and those who did nothing for women wrestlers are now talking about an anti-woman mindset?”

Reacting to the bill, she noted that the way in which the Modi government presented the women's reservation bill made its passage impossible. She went on to say that the BJP linked women's reservation to delimitation and the old census, in which the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category was not included.

"We can never agree to this. What happened today is a huge victory for the country's democracy and its integrity," she told reporters.

(With agency inputs)