In a setback to the NDA government, the constitutional amendment bill to bring women's reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was defeated in the Lok Sabha, as the government could not muster the requisite two-thirds majority. It was the first time in the BJP government's tenure that a constitutional bill could not get through due to a lack of numbers.
After two days of intense debate in the Lok Sabha, which witnessed the participation of all the key leaders, the issue of the delimitation exercise trumped women's reservation. The Opposition parties firmly opposed the delimitation linked to the implementation of women's reservation, while the government pushed hard with its new formula of a 50 per cent increase in seats across all states. PM Narendra Modi gave a guarantee that the rights of states would not be taken away, but that failed to win his side any significant numbers.
When the numbers were counted in the Lok Sabha, it stood at 298 for the government and 230 against it. The key message from this is that the Opposition has been able to hold its numbers and keep its camp intact. In that sense, it is a victory for the Opposition that it has been able to embarrass the government. While the Opposition hailed the vote, the BJP MPs launched a protest against them for defeating the constitutional amendment bill.
The manner in which Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin burned the delimitation bill set the tone for the entire Opposition, which stuck together. The government accused the Opposition of not wanting women's reservation implemented before the 2029 polls.
With polling in two key Opposition states yet to be held — West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — the BJP is expected to be aggressive in its campaign, arguing that it was because of the Opposition that a key provision for women was defeated. Women have emerged as a key factor in polls, with their votes making a difference in who forms the government.
The jury is still out on whether the BJP will be able to turn the defeat of the women's reservation bill into a polling issue that will impact elections in Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The Opposition is of the view that the government should implement the 2023 women's reservation bill without the delimitation exercise.
The three-day special session, which was viewed with great excitement by women activists, has ended with the defeat of the bill, meaning they will have to wait a little longer to see it come into force. The government will now have the option of implementing the bill without the delimitation exercise.
