A Constitution Amendment Bill linked to delimitation and women's reservation was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday, despite receiving 298 votes in favor against 230 votes opposing it. The Bill required a minimum of 352 votes for a two-thirds majority but fell short due to the total of 528 members voting. The proposed amendment sought to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 to facilitate 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies starting from the 2029 elections. This plan was contingent on a new delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, which aims to redraw constituency boundaries for fair representation. Under Article 368 of the Constitution, amendment bills must achieve a higher threshold than ordinary laws, necessitating a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. The political reactions were intense, with the government accusing the Opposition of obstructing women's empowerment, while Opposition leaders argued the Bill was flawed and defended constitutional principles. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized the Opposition for what he termed a “historic betrayal” of Indian women, while Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi framed the outcome as a victory for constitutional values.