Centre withdraws much hyped ‘Delimitation Bill’ after NDA failed the floor test in Lok sabha
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ April 17,2026
The Lok Sabha on Friday rejected the much-debated Delimitation Bill after it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority. The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, introduced by the Modi-led BJP government, sought to expand the strength of the House and revise the framework governing delimitation, along with the implementation of women’s reservation.
Out of 528 members present and voting, 298 voted in favour of the Bill, while 230 opposed it. As a Constitution Amendment Bill requires a two-thirds majority for passage, the legislation failed to clear the Lok Sabha. Subsequently, the Union government said it will not move ahead with two related Bills, saying that they cannot be viewed in isolation.
The Bill proposed increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies based on the 2011 Census, and linking this exercise with the implementation of women’s reservation.
Opposition parties strongly objected to the proposal, arguing that using the 2011 Census as the basis for seat redistribution would disproportionately reduce representation for southern and north-eastern states. They also criticised the timing of the move, questioning the urgency of delimitation when the 2026–27 Census is currently underway.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Lok Sabha, said the Constitution Amendment Bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation, but is an attempt by the government to change the country’s electoral map by taking away representation from southern, northeastern and smaller States, which is “nothing short of an anti-national act”.
