Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026

Timeline

1. 19 Oct2026
   Polity

   Government and Congress trade letters on reviving delimitation and 131st Amendment bills¹²³

   Six months after the Lok Sabha failed to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju wrote to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on 19 October 2026 replying to Kharge's 16 October letter to the Prime Minister seeking an all-party meeting before any fresh delimitation amendment. Rijiju said the government had consulted several non-NDA parties and saw no need for another all-party meeting; reports said the bills were expected to be reintroduced when Parliament reconvenes.

   • Rijiju's letter to Kharge dated 19 October 2026 replied to Kharge's letter to the PM seeking an all-party meeting
   • Government says it consulted DMK, SP, YSRCP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), AIMIM and BJD on the proposed delimitation legislation
   • Rijiju cited his letters to Congress of 16 March, 26 March and 12 April 2026 and a meeting with Rahul Gandhi in the Monsoon Session
   • Both Houses adjourned sine die on 13 August 2026 and had not been prorogued, which Congress called unprecedented; Rijiju cited earlier gaps of up to 87 days (2008)
   • The 131st Amendment Bill failed on 17 April 2026 (298 for, 230 against, 528 present) and the linked Delimitation Bill 2026 and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 were not taken forward and later withdrawn
2. 17 Apr2026
   Polity

   Lok Sabha defeats Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill on delimitation and women's quota⁴⁵⁶⁷

   On 17 April the Lok Sabha rejected the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to raise the House from 543 to up to 850 seats and let one-third women's reservation start right after a fresh delimitation. It got 298 votes for and 230 against, short of the two-thirds majority needed, and the linked Delimitation Bill and UT Laws Bill were then withdrawn.

   • Vote on 17 April 2026: 298 in favour, 230 against, with 528 members present and voting
   • Needed two-thirds of members present and voting (about 352) plus a majority of total membership
   • Proposed Lok Sabha size up to 850 (up to 815 for states, up to 35 for Union Territories), up from 543
   • Proposed to amend Article 82 so delimitation need not wait for the first Census after 2026, and Article 334A so women's reservation could start immediately after delimitation
   • Delimitation Bill 2026 (based on the 2011 Census) and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 were withdrawn by Kiren Rijiju after the defeat

Exercise.Quizzes on Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill 2026 and every other topic arrive on Telegram six times a day, and what you get wrong comes back.

Practise on Telegram

Sources

1. Outlook India
2. The South First
3. ETV Bharat
4. The South First
5. LiveLaw
6. The Wire
7. Moneylife