“India's parliament on Friday failed to pass a vote on a controversial proposal to introduce a minimum quota for female lawmakers that would have also seen the Lok Sabha grow to over 800 seats.”

“The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday proposed the amendment bills in a special session of the parliament, aimed at bringing forward the implementation of a 2023 law guaranteeing a 33% quota for women in the national Parliament and state assemblies from the 2029 general elections.”

“The women's quota is tied to a separate and controversial bill to redraw voting boundaries based on population under the Delimitation Bill.”

“The vote on Friday missed the two-thirds majority mark required for it to pass.”

“The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes increasing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, from 543 to around 850, comprising 815 members from the states and 35 from the Union Territories.”

“The Delimitation Bill, 2026 establishes a Delimitation Commission tasked with altering seat allocations in Parliament and state assemblies based on the most recent population census — held in 2011 — and redrawing constituency boundaries accordingly.”

“At present, the 1971 census defines the composition of the Lok Sabha.”

“The 84th Amendment Act of 2001 froze constituency boundaries until the first census after 2026.”

“Women currently account for 14% of the lower house.”