NEW DELHI: The Women's Reservation Bill failed to pass the Lok Sabha as it did not get a two-thirds majority. When the amendment was put to the vote, 278 people voted in favour, but 211 people voted against the bill.
With this, the amendment brought by the central government was defeated.
489 people participated in the vote. 326 votes were required for a two-thirds majority. But out of this, the ruling party fell short of 48 votes. Union Minister Amit Shah had earlier said in his reply speech that all the MPs of the INDI alliance will vote against the bill. Shah also accused the Congress of opposing women's reservation both while in power and in the opposition.
"The government's goal is to implement women's reservation from 2029. Those who oppose the delimitation of constituencies are also opposing the increase in SC and ST seats. As the Lok Sabha seats increase, the reserved seats will increase." Said Amit Shah.
The aim of women's reservation and delimitation of constituencies is to ensure adequate representation of 50 per cent of the population by 2029. Amit Shah had also said that the current population in each constituency is beyond what an MP can handle. However, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of using the bill for political brownies.