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Updated on: April 18, 2026 11:06:36 AM IST
Parliament session live updates: Both the Houses are set to resume after the BJP-led Centre’s efforts to move ahead with the delimitation process, linked to the start of reservation for women, hit a dead end after the opposition voted against the bill.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi speaks in the House during the special session of Parliament in New Delhi
Parliament session live updates: Both houses are scheduled to resume proceedings on Saturday, a day after a stormy session in the Lok Sabha that saw the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fail to secure the required two-thirds majority, a rare setback for the government in more than a decade. The BJP-led Centre’s efforts to move ahead with the delimitation process, linked to the initiation of reservation for women, reached a dead end after the opposition voted against the bill. This development led to a sharp political confrontation between the ruling alliance and the India bloc.
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The bill fails in Lok Sabha vote
The amendment bill, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass, received 298 votes in favor and 230 votes against during division after a marathon debate on three government bills.
This failure stalls the delimitation process associated with the implementation of 33% reservation for women, which has been proposed to come into effect from the 2029 general elections.
Political debate intensifies
The result sparked a war of words, with the government accusing the opposition of obstructing women’s rights, while opposition leaders defended their position as a constitutional necessity.
Federal Home Minister Amit Shah, who responded to the lengthy debate in the House of Representatives, sharply criticized the opposition, accusing it of celebrating at the expense of women.
“How can anyone celebrate victory after deceiving half the country’s population – 700 million women – and losing their trust?” He said on X.
He added: “This celebration by the opposition is an insult to every woman who has been waiting for her rights for decades.”
Warning ahead of the elections, Shah said, “The women of the country see who is the obstacle in their way… When you go to elections, the mother power will demand a reckoning, and after that, you will not find a way to escape.”
Opposition conditions defeat “constitutional victory”
But the opposition responded strongly, considering the defeat of the bill as a victory for constitutional principles.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said: “The amendment bill has fallen. They used an unconstitutional trick in the name of women to violate the Constitution. India has witnessed it. India has stopped it. Hail to the Constitution.”
“This is not a women’s reservation bill – it has nothing to do with women. This bill is anti-OBC, this bill is anti-SC-ST, this bill is anti-national – anti-south, north-east, north-west and small states,” he added in another post.
What’s on the agenda today?
With Parliament reconvening, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to undertake its routine work. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will present the annual report (2022-23) of the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, along with its audited accounts and the government’s review of its functioning.
However, it is still unclear whether discussions on the controversial amendment related to reservation for women will be discussed again.
Follow all updates here:
April 18, 2026 at 11:06:35 am
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Parliament Session Live Updates: Parliament proceedings begin after amendment bill setback
Parliament Session Live Updates: Proceedings began in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Saturday, a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the House, leading to an acrimonious political standoff.
The Lok Sabha took up the business listed for the day, while members returned to the House.
In the Rajya Sabha, proceedings have also begun with scheduled works, including drawing up of papers related to the legal decision.
April 18, 2026 at 10:53:40 am
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Parliament session live updates: ‘Linking quotas to demarcation is a failure, says Congress KC Venugopal
Parliament Session Live Updates: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Congress MP KC Venugopal said the government must now move quickly on implementing women’s reservation without linking it to delimitation.
“…We have already unanimously passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023…And now the government has to move immediately to implement the 2029 Election Bill…Their agenda to link women’s reservation with border demarcation failed yesterday…Because they want to demarcate the border as per their convenience…And because of that shock, they are now telling all these stories…”, ANI reported.
April 18, 2026 at 10:38:56 am
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Parliament session live updates: Why cannot a women’s quota be implemented in the current parliament of 543?
Parliament Session Live Updates: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 fell in the Lok Sabha on Friday — the first defeat for a bill in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 12 years now — one question cuts through the din of the political fray: Why can’t 33% reservation for women simply be implemented in the current 543-seat Lok Sabha, right now?
The plan, which failed, was to increase Lok Sabha seats by 50% for the time being to 816, and a maximum of 850 at some point; Hence, giving one-third reservation to women when creating these additional seats. The opposition has raged against speeding up the process of increasing seats and demarcating boundaries using outdated census data even as bigger questions remain unanswered. Read more
April 18, 2026 at 10:33:22 am
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Parliament session live updates: What’s on the agenda today?
Parliament Session Live Updates: With Parliament reconvening today, the lower house (Lok Sabha) is set to take up business, with Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal scheduled to present the annual report (2022-23) of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, along with its audited accounts and the government’s review of its working.
However, there is no clarity yet on whether discussions on the controversial Women’s Reservations Amendment Bill will resume or not.
In Rajya Sabha, papers related to the legal decision are to be drawn up.
April 18, 2026 at 10:11:07 AM
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Parliament session live updates: SP points out timing after amendment bill fails
Parliament session live updates: After the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav questioned the need for fresh changes and the timing of the government’s move.
He said, “This law was issued in 2023…but why was there a need to make amendments to it? Even after introducing the amendments, you informed the old draft law the night before last. So there was no need to vote on it. The whole world knows that this is being done because of the elections… Their motive was political…”
April 18, 2026 9:48:24 AM
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Parliament session live updates: ‘Don’t be misled about women’s quota,’ says Congress as amendment bill fails
Parliament Session Live Updates: Reacting to the failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari launched a sharp attack on the BJP, questioning the timing and intention behind the move.
“I challenge the BJP not to lie – the Women’s Reservation Bill has already been passed in 2023. Why did you issue the notification the day before yesterday? Where have you been sleeping for 3 years?… Women’s reservation should start from today, start now – and implement it in the next Assembly elections… Your attempt to put demarcation in the hands of the government through this has failed completely; democracy in India has been saved,” ANI quoted him as saying.
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