Union MoS Raksha Khadse and BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj were detained by Police personnel on Saturday evening during a protest march to the residence of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi. This comes a day after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha.

The Constitution Amendment Bill, aimed at implementing reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha, was defeated in the Lower House of the Parliament on Friday. 

Notably, 298 members voted in favour of the Bill, while 230 voted against it. Out of the 528 members who participated in the voting, the Bill required 352 votes to secure passage.

Delimitation and Women’s Reservation 

According to the proposed legislation, the number of Lok Sabha seats was to be increased from the current 543 to a maximum of 850 to operationalise the women’s reservation law before the 2029 General Elections.

This expansion was to follow a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census. Similarly, seats in state and Union Territory assemblies were also to be increased to accommodate a 33 per cent reservation for women.

BJP vs Opposition 

Following the Bill’s defeat in the Lok Sabha, the BJP termed the development a ‘black day’ and accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of betraying women. 

As per IANS, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Congress and the Opposition would have to face the anger of women across the country, alleging that they had permanently damaged their credibility.

Meanwhile, the Congress and its allies maintained that the quota law passed in 2023 should be implemented immediately, accusing the government of politicising the issue. 

Several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, stated that they were not opposed to women’s reservation but objected to its linkage with delimitation.