New Delhi. The voting process was completed in the Lok Sabha on Friday (April 17) after a long and intensive discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Amendment Bill. A total of 528 MPs took part in the voting, of which 298 MPs voted in support of the bill and 230 MPs voted against it. However, the two-thirds majority (352 votes) required to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill could not be achieved, due to which the bill could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. Announcing the results, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that the bill has not received the required constitutional support, hence it cannot be taken forward in the further legislative process. After this, the government did not decide to vote on the other two bills related to this also.
21 hours long discussion, 130 MPs took part
There was a detailed discussion on this important bill in the House for about 21 hours. A total of 130 MPs participated in the debate, including 56 women MPs. Everyone presented their respective views and discussed in detail the political, social and constitutional aspects of the bill. During the discussion on the bill, there was a heated debate between the party and the opposition, where both the parties strongly presented their arguments.
What were the proposed provisions?
Many major changes were proposed under this Constitution Amendment Bill –
Proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to maximum 850 after delimitation on the basis of 2011 census.
Plan to give 33% reservation to women before 2029 general elections
Provision to increase women representation in the assemblies of states and union territories also.
Objective of rebalancing political representation through delimitation
Government’s side: “Historical effort to give rights to women”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called it a historic initiative of the government. He said that this bill was an important step towards giving respect and political rights to women, but due to lack of support from the opposition, it could not get the required majority. Taking a dig at the opposition, Rijiju said it was unfortunate that efforts to give women their rights did not get support. He said that the government will continue its campaign for women’s rights.
Home Minister Amit Shah’s sharp statement
Before voting, Home Minister Amit Shah made a strong attack on the opposition in the House. He said that the parties which are opposing delimitation are actually opposing increasing the representation of the SC-ST community. He also said that the southern and smaller states will get proper representation even after delimitation and there will be no injustice to any state. His statement further intensified the political debate.
Opposition reaction
After the bill was defeated, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the government. He said that this was not just an issue of women’s reservation, but an attempt to change the electoral system and democratic structure. Rahul Gandhi alleged that this was an attack on the basic spirit of the Constitution and the opposition worked together to stop it.
Political importance and influence
This is the first time in the last 12 years that any Constitution Amendment Bill brought by the Modi government could not be passed in the Lok Sabha. This development is being seen as an important turning point in Indian politics. Experts believe that the long debate and voting on this bill will further intensify the political discussion on issues like women’s reservation and delimitation in the times to come. The Women’s Reservation and Delimitation Amendment Bill may not have been passed in the Lok Sabha, but the long discussion and sharp political reaction on it has made it a historic parliamentary event. In the coming times, this issue may play a more important role in the country’s politics.
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