Women Reservation Bill

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, more commonly known as the women's reservation Bill or women's quota Bill, was passed during the special session of the Parliament on September 21, 2023. It seeks to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women, and is the first legislation to be cleared by both Houses in the new Parliament House.

The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on September 20 with near unanimity: it received 454 votes in favour and two from the AIMIM against it. Meanwhile, the Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha unanimously: it secured 214 votes in its favour with none against it, and there were no abstentions.

The Opposition supported the Bill in both Houses, but has demanded an OBC quota within the law and criticised the BJP for concerns over a delay in its implementation. The Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the Lok Sabha of a “transparent process” to identify seats to be reserved for women. He added that the next government will conduct the census and the delimitation exercise soon after the next general elections in 2024 and set in motion the process to make reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies a reality.

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WOMEN RESERVATION BILL NEWS

From women in panchayats, message for Parliament

May 11, 2026 6:58 am

The foundation for inclusive leadership has been laid. Now is the time to scale up the model

Yogi Adityanath, Women's Reservation Bill, UP Assembly

‘Participate if you have moral courage’: Yogi dares Opposition over women's reservation debate in UP Assembly

May 07, 2026 1:21 pm

To back his argument that the Opposition is "anti-women," Yogi invoked two of the most controversial chapters in India's political history.

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Women in Parliament: Representation, reservation, and road ahead

May 06, 2026 11:23 am

What do trends in women’s representation, Constituent Assembly debates, and legislative developments reveal about women’s reservation in India? Let's decode the topic with key facts, insights, and context.

131st Amendment Bill was about torching federal compact, not women’s reservation

April 27, 2026 7:06 pm

The BJP’s rhetoric and headline management cannot erase Congress’s record of supporting women’s reservation

Best of Both Sides: Women’s reservation can give a voice to those who haven't had one

April 24, 2026 12:53 am

Women’s leadership in politics, government, and public life will not only help advance the goal of gender equality — it can also help bring about sustainable and inclusive growth and development

South must confront the inequalities within

After defeat of delimitation bill, South India must confront inequalities within

April 24, 2026 9:28 pm

Southern states cannot continue to concentrate power in the hands of men

To understand what reservation can do for women in politics, let’s take a look at corporate boards

April 24, 2026 12:56 am

With more women as directors and in C-Suites, women will be mentored more relevantly by other women and taught the importance of seeking to perform rather than to belong

The ugly truth about male MPs and women's reservation – and how Yogi Adityanth goes against the grain

April 22, 2026 5:06 pm

An influential male CM, not personally threatened by the 131st Amendment, not a woman, not a token, walking publicly for a women's rights law is not a routine event in Indian politics. The overwhelming pattern since 1996 has been that men with political capital quietly let women's representation die, while publicly claiming sympathy

‘Abuse of power’: Congress moves privilege notice against PM over April 18 address

April 22, 2026 4:13 pm

Prime Minister Modi had launched a scathing attack on the Opposition in his address to the nation Saturday, using the analogy of female foeticide.

Picking up the pieces, after the collapse

Women’s reservation is a powerful idea whose time has come. But it cannot be delivered by decree

April 20, 2026 7:01 am

In the aftermath of Friday’s defeat in Parliament, the PM and his team, in both party and government, owe themselves an honest reckoning with the trust deficit they so visibly failed to bridge.

WOMEN RESERVATION BILL PHOTOS

Participating in the protest, SP MLA Amitabh Bajpai demanded the immediate implementation of the women's reservation law

Women Reservation Bill: SP MLAs stage protest against BJP in UP Assembly premises

April 30, 2026 3:04 pm

Samajwadi Party legislators protested in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly premises, accusing the BJP of misleading people on women's reservations

Addressing the gathering, BJP state president Dilip Saikia accused the Congress of failing to ensure political rights for women

BJP women’s wing protests in Guwahati against opposition over women’s reservation Bill

April 28, 2026 3:40 pm

Members of the party's mahila morcha, along with senior leaders, began the procession from the Veterinary Field at Khanapara and marched through major thoroughfares of the city

Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Smriti Irani accused the Congress and its allies of celebrating the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill related to women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha

Smriti Irani accuses Congress of celebrating defeat of Women’s Reservation Bill

April 18, 2026 7:20 pm

The Constitution Amendment Bill, which sought to operationalise women's reservation and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House on Friday after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority

She described the outcome as a significant moment, calling it a victory for democracy

Priyanka Gandhi calls defeat of delimitation-linked women’s bill a ‘win for democracy’

April 18, 2026 2:41 pm

She also demanded that the government implement the Women's Reservation Act of 2023 on the current strength of the Lok Sabha

Women’s reservation Bill gets Parliament nod: How the events unfolded

September 22, 2023 3:04 pm

Addressing women at the BJP central office on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeking to reserve 33% of seats in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women.