The central government faces a high-stakes legislative showdown as it prepares to introduce the bill The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 will be presented during a three-day special session of Parliament beginning on Thursday.
The bill proposes expansion The 550-850-seat Lok Sabha faced a wall of resistance from the united opposition.
The government has linked the expansion to the implementation of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhinyam (33% of reservations are for women), but the opposition describes it as a “political ploy” to move forward with the controversial border demarcation process.
As a constitutional amendment, the bill requires a “special majority” under Article 368. This means that it must be approved by a majority of the total members of each chamber, as well as at least two-thirds of the members present and voting.
Lok Sabha
In the Lok Sabha, the current effective strength is about 540 members. If all MPs are present and vote, the bill will need the support of at least 360 MPs to pass.
The ruling National Democratic Rally (NDR) party currently has about 293 MPs, leaving it trailing by about 67 votes.
The opposition bloc has about 234 deputies, which is enough to prevent the government from reaching the required two-thirds majority.
Even a smaller group within the opposition could block the bill.
The four largest opposition parties Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) together account for a major chunk of the seats. This would make it difficult for the government to push through the legislation without cross-party support.
Uncertainty also surrounds the decision of key allies such as the United States The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 members in Parliament, has expressed concerns about the potential impact of the demarcation on the southern states.
Rajya Sabha
in Rajya Sabha, where the bill will be taken up after Lok Sabha approval, has the ruling NDA in a relatively stronger position but is still short of the required two-thirds majority.
Out of a total of 244 members, the bill would require at least 163 votes if all members are present and vote. NDA strength is about 141-142.
It is possible that the required number will decrease if opposition members abstain from voting or are absent during voting, because the two-thirds requirement applies only to those present and voting.
| House of Representatives | membership | Votes needed for passage (2/3) | What the government (National Democratic Rally) has. | gap |
| Lok Sabha (lower house) | 540 | 360 | 293 | -67 |
| Rajya Sabha (Supreme Council) | 244 | 163 | 141 | -22 |
Opposition voices
The opposition held its meeting today, Wednesday, under the chairmanship of… Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge agreed to oppose the bill due to its “politically motivated” connection with the demarcation.
They said that using the 2011 census to redraw maps is a “back door” to redraw the electoral field before the 2029 elections.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party called this a “conspiracy”.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a statewide black flag protest against the proposed changes. He described the demarcation plan as a “black law” and warned of dire consequences if the Center continues its work without addressing the state’s concerns. He also set fire to the bill.
“We have decided to oppose this bill but I want to tell you that we are not against reservation for women. We are against the demarcation provisions in the bill,” Karji said.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the government was trying to “destroy the flawed, unconstitutional and anti-federal delimitation process” with undue haste.
TMC leader Derek O’Brien described it as a “twisted agenda”.
The government defended the draft law, considering it a historic step towards women’s empowerment. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was broad agreement in principle on women’s detention, and she seemed confident that the required support would be secured.
