Despite fervent appeals by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill on implementing women’s reservation and delimitation of Lok Sabha seats failed the floor test in the House on day 2 of the special session of the Parliament.
A Constitution amendment bill can be passed only by a two-thirds majority of those present in the House at the time of voting. Only 278 votes out of a total of 489 were cast in favour of the bill, effectively spoiling the efforts by the government to tweak the women's quota law.
"The Constitution (131st Amendment) Amendment Bill did not pass as it did not achieve a 2/3 majority during voting in the House," said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Lok Sabha was adjourned till 11 am on Saturday.
Following the defeat of the bill, Union minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Opposition and said the government will ensure women’s reservation.
Reacting to the development, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, "We have defeated this attack on the Constitution. We have clearly said that this is not a women's reservation bill, but it is a way to change India's political structure."
The way the government presented this bill, it was impossible for this bill to be passed, said Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. "The bill was defeated because of the way the govt linked women's reservation to delimitation and earlier census," she said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated that this was not a vote against women's reservation, "but against delimitation and the mischief that delimitation and the dramatic expansion of Parliament would do to our democracy, so we voted to save our democracy..."
"We have said even in our speeches, that we will vote for women's reservation if you will delink it from delimitation. It is against their refusal to delink this that we have voted..."
