Constitution Amendment Bill, part of delimitation package, defeated, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at redistributing Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 Census to facilitate women's reservation, was defeated in the Parliament.
• 298 members voted in favor, and 230 voted against, failing to reach the required two-thirds majority of 352.
• Following the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill, the government withdrew the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
• Amit Shah stated the Bills aimed to implement women’s reservation by the 2029 general election and uphold the principle of “one person, one vote, and one value”.

Detailed Insights:

• The defeat occurred due to the Opposition's concerns that the Bill lacked a guarantee of uniform 50% increase in representation for all States in the Lok Sabha.
• The government argued that delimitation based on the 1971 Census has led to disparities in constituency sizes, citing Malkajgiri in Telangana with approximately 48 lakh voters.
• The government accused the Opposition of creating a north-south divide by alleging that southern States would lose Parliamentary representation due to delimitation.
• The debate also touched upon the issue of caste count and reservations, with the government criticizing the Congress party's historical stance on OBC reservations.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation: The process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies to ensure equal representation.
• Constitutional Amendment Bill: A legislative proposal to modify the Constitution of India, requiring a special majority in Parliament for passage.
• Women's Reservation Bill: A proposed law to reserve a certain percentage of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.

The Delimitation Process