Lok Sabha negatives Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026: 298 in favour, 230 against, short of special majority
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to enlarge the Lok Sabha and tie women's reservation to a fresh delimitation, was negatived in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026 after 298 members voted for it and 230 against, short of the two-thirds of members present and voting required under Article 368(2).
Summary
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 was negatived in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026, according to PRS Legislative Research, The Hindu and The Indian Express. Of 528 members present at the time of voting, 298 voted in favour and 230 against, below the two-thirds mark of 352 required for a Constitution Amendment Bill (The Hindu). Under Article 368(2), such a Bill must be passed in each House by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. According to PRS, the Bill would have raised the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850 (up to 815 from states and up to 35 from Union Territories), let Parliament decide by law when delimitation is done and which census is used, and removed the condition that women's reservation under the 106th Amendment (2023) start only after delimitation based on the first census after 2023. After the vote, the two linked Bills, the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, were not taken up further; The Hindu reports they were withdrawn.
Key facts
- Bill
- Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; introduced 16 April 2026
- Outcome
- Negatived in Lok Sabha, 17 April 2026 (PRS)
- Vote
- 298 Ayes, 230 Noes; 528 present (The Hindu, Indian Express)
- Two-thirds mark
- 352 of 528 present and voting (The Hindu)
- Rule
- Art. 368(2): majority of total membership + two-thirds of present and voting, in each House
- Proposed LS size
- Max 850 (815 states, 35 UTs), up from 550 (530 + 20)
- Linked Bills
- Delimitation Bill, 2026 and UT Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 not taken up further
Practice MCQs 4 questions
In the Lok Sabha vote of 17 April 2026 on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, how many members voted in favour and against?
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Correct answer: A — 298 in favour, 230 against
With 528 members present, 298 voted in favour and 230 against (The Hindu, Indian Express); the Bill needed 352.
Under Article 368(2) of the Constitution, a Bill to amend the Constitution must be passed in each House by:
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Correct answer: D — A majority of the total membership of that House and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting
Article 368(2) requires both limbs in each House: a majority of the total membership and not less than two-thirds of members present and voting. In April 2026, 298 of 528 met the first limb but not the second (352 needed).
Consider the following statements about the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, as summarised by PRS Legislative Research: 1. It proposed raising the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850, with up to 35 members from Union Territories. 2. It proposed raising the maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha above 250. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: PRS notes the Bill left the Rajya Sabha maximum of 250 (Article 80) unchanged.
The existing freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among states, based on the 1971 census, was extended until the first census after 2026 by which Constitutional Amendment?
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Correct answer: C — 84th Amendment, 2001
PRS notes the 42nd Amendment (1976) froze seats on the 1971 census until the first census after 2000, and the 84th Amendment (2001) extended it until the first census after 2026.