Updated on: Apr 18, 2026 10:38:57 AM IST
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi speaks in the House during the Special session of Parliament, in New Delhi
Parliament session live updates: Both Houses are set to resume proceedings on Saturday, a day after a stormy session in the Lok Sabha saw the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fail to secure the required two-thirds majority, a rare setback for the government in over a decade. The BJP-led Centre’s push to advance the delimitation exercise, linked to the rollout of women’s reservation, hit a roadblock after the Opposition voted against the bill. The development has triggered a sharp political face-off between the ruling alliance and the INDIA bloc.
Bill falls short in Lok Sabha vote
The amendment bill, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, received 298 votes in favour and 230 against during division following a marathon debate on three government bills.
The failure effectively stalls the delimitation process tied to the implementation of 33% reservation for women, which was proposed to come into effect from the 2029 general elections.
Political sparring intensifies
The outcome has sparked a war of words, with the government accusing the Opposition of blocking women’s rights, while Opposition leaders have defended their stand as a constitutional necessity.
Union home minister Amit Shah, who replied to the lengthy debate in the House, took a sharp swipe at the Opposition, accusing it of celebrating at the expense of women.
“How can anyone celebrate victory after deceiving half the country’s population—700 million women—and losing their trust?” he said on X.
He added, “This celebration by the opposition is an insult to every woman who has been waiting for her rights for decades.”
Issuing a warning ahead of elections, Shah said, “The women of the country are seeing who the obstacle in their path is… When you go to the elections, the mother power will demand an account, and then you won’t find a way to escape.”
Opposition terms defeat a ‘constitutional win’
The Opposition, however, pushed back strongly, framing the bill’s defeat as a victory for constitutional principles.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution. India has seen it. INDIA has stopped it. Hail the Constitution.”
In another post, he added, “This is not a Women’s Reservation Bill – it has nothing to do with women. This bill is anti-OBC, This bill is anti-SC-ST, This bill is Anti National – against the South, North-East, North-West, and small states.”
What’s on the agenda today
As Parliament reconvenes, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up routine business. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will table the Annual Report (2022–2023) of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, along with its audited accounts and a government review of its functioning.
However, it remains unclear whether discussions around the contentious women’s reservation-linked amendment will be taken up again.
…Read More
Bill falls short in Lok Sabha vote
The amendment bill, which required a two-thirds majority to pass, received 298 votes in favour and 230 against during division following a marathon debate on three government bills.
The failure effectively stalls the delimitation process tied to the implementation of 33% reservation for women, which was proposed to come into effect from the 2029 general elections.
Political sparring intensifies
The outcome has sparked a war of words, with the government accusing the Opposition of blocking women’s rights, while Opposition leaders have defended their stand as a constitutional necessity.
Union home minister Amit Shah, who replied to the lengthy debate in the House, took a sharp swipe at the Opposition, accusing it of celebrating at the expense of women.
“How can anyone celebrate victory after deceiving half the country’s population—700 million women—and losing their trust?” he said on X.
He added, “This celebration by the opposition is an insult to every woman who has been waiting for her rights for decades.”
Issuing a warning ahead of elections, Shah said, “The women of the country are seeing who the obstacle in their path is… When you go to the elections, the mother power will demand an account, and then you won’t find a way to escape.”
Opposition terms defeat a ‘constitutional win’
The Opposition, however, pushed back strongly, framing the bill’s defeat as a victory for constitutional principles.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said, “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick in the name of women to break the Constitution. India has seen it. INDIA has stopped it. Hail the Constitution.”
In another post, he added, “This is not a Women’s Reservation Bill – it has nothing to do with women. This bill is anti-OBC, This bill is anti-SC-ST, This bill is Anti National – against the South, North-East, North-West, and small states.”
What’s on the agenda today
As Parliament reconvenes, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up routine business. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will table the Annual Report (2022–2023) of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, along with its audited accounts and a government review of its functioning.
However, it remains unclear whether discussions around the contentious women’s reservation-linked amendment will be taken up again.
Follow all the updates here:
Apr 18, 2026 10:38:56 AM IST
Parliament session live updates: Why can’t women’s quota be implemented in existing House of 543?
Parliament session live updates: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 fell in the Lok Sabha on Friday — the first defeat of a bill in PM Narendra Modi’s government of 12 years so far — one question cuts through the noise of the political battle: Why can’t 33% reservation for women simply be implemented in the existing 543-seat Lok Sabha, right now?
The plan, which failed, was to increase the Lok Sabha seats by a flat 50% for now to 816, to a maximum of 850 at some point; and thus give one-third reservation to women as these additional seats are created. The Opposition was up in arms against this seat-increase and delimitation exercise being hastened by using old census data even as larger questions remained unanswered. Read More
Apr 18, 2026 10:33:22 AM IST
Parliament session live updates: What’s on agenda today?
Parliament session live updates: As Parliament reconvenes today, the Lok Sabha is set to take up listed business, with Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal scheduled to table the Annual Report (2022–2023) of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, along with its audited accounts and a government review of its functioning.
However, there is no clarity yet on whether discussions around the contentious women’s reservation-linked amendment bill will resume.
In the Rajya Sabha, papers related to a statutory resolution are slated to be laid.
Apr 18, 2026 10:11:07 AM IST
Parliament session live updates: SP flags timing after amendment bill fails
Parliament session live updates: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav questioned the need for fresh changes and the timing of the government’s move.
“This bill was passed in 2023… but why was there a need to make amendments to it? Even after bringing amendments, you notified the old bill the night before last. So there was no need to vote on it. The whole world knows this is being done because of the elections…. Their motive was political…” he said.
Apr 18, 2026 9:48:24 AM IST
Parliament session live updates: ‘Don’t mislead on women’s quota,’ says Congress as amendment bill fails
Parliament session live updates: Reacting to the failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari launched a sharp attack on the BJP, questioning the timing and intent behind the move.
“I challenge the BJP not to lie—the Women’s Reservation Bill was already passed in 2023. Why did you issue the notification just the day before yesterday? Where were you sleeping for 3 years?… Women’s reservation should start from today, begin it right now—implement it in the upcoming assembly elections… Your attempt to bring the delimitation into the hands of the government through this has been completely defeated; India’s democracy has been saved,” ANI quoted him as saying.
