Why in News?
The Lok Sabha recently rejected the 131st Amendment Bill, which proposed increasing the strength of the House and implementing 33% reservation for women. The bill failed as it could not secure the required special majority.
Key Highlights of the Bill
- Purpose of the Bill
- Increase Lok Sabha strength to 850 seats
- Implement 33% reservation for women before the 2029 general elections
- Outcome
- The bill was defeated in Lok Sabha
- Failed to secure the required special majority
- Aftermath
- Government withdrew:
- Delimitation Bill, 2026
- Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Government withdrew:
What is Special Majority?
A Special Majority in Parliament refers to a higher level of approval required for important decisions, especially constitutional amendments under Article 368.
- It refers to any voting requirement other than simple, absolute, or effective majorities, typically requiring at least a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. I
Delimitation Controversy Explained
What is Delimitation?
- It is the process of redrawing boundaries of constituencies based on population changes.
- Usually based on Census data.
Core Issue in This Case
- The bill linked women’s reservation to a new delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
- Opposition raised concerns that:
- Southern states (with controlled population growth) may lose representation
- Northern states may gain more seats
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