In a major setback to the government, the Lok Sabha failed to pass the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, that sought to increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats and tweak the women’s reservation law passed in 2023.

The bill needed a two-thirds majority of the Lok Sabha, which is approximately 360 votes, to get passed in the lower house of Parliament. However, only 298 MPs voted in favour of the bill, and 230 MPs voted against it.

“Not passed by a majority of the total membership of the House and by a majority of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting, as per the provisions of Article 368 of the Constitution,” Sansad TV posted on X.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had appealed to the Opposition leaders to “take a sensitive decision by voting in favour of women’s reservation.”

The voting on the Constitution Amendment Bill did not take place by voice vote but through a division of votes, “meaning it is necessary to clearly indicate how many votes were cast in support or opposition.”

The government had introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. They were the controversial Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Delimitation Bill.