Parliament LIVE | No two-thirds majority: Women's Quota Amendment Bill fails in LS
The much-debated Bill failed to cross the Lok Sabha hurdle after the BJP-led NDA received 278 votes, while the opposition INDIA bloc got 211
Here is the top, trending news of Friday, April 17, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Scroll for updates below.
Live Updates
- 17 April 2026 10:05 PM IST
CPI(M) MP Brittas hails bill voting outcome: 'We together defeated BJP's hidden agenda'
Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP John Brittas reacted to the women's quota amendment bill faltering in the Lok Sabha on Friday saying the opposition "stood together and defeated the BJP's hidden agenda".
"By increasing the Lok Sabha strength to 850 through delimitation, they were trying to create dominance in their strongholds and permanently alter national politics," the Rajya Sabha member said.
Questioning the bill's timing, Brittas said, "Elections are underway in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Bringing this in at such a time could have created confusion within the opposition. There are parties within the opposition that fight each other. They assumed we would not unite. Treating this as a masterstroke, they hurriedly called a special sitting. After a session, once members had dispersed, they suddenly came up with this idea of a special sitting."
Speaking about the delimitation proposal, he said a 850-seat Lok Sabha would give an overwhelming dominance to the northern states of the country.
- 17 April 2026 9:52 PM IST
‘Absolute shame’: Maharashtra CM Fadnavis slams opposition’s ‘hypocrisy’
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the opposition, accusing it of being hypocritical over the defeat of the women's reservation amendment bill in the Lok Sabha on Friday, stating that it failed to support women's empowerment when given a "historic opportunity".
In a post on X, Fadnavis said that the entire country witnessed the opposition's stand. For these parties, women's empowerment exists "only in speeches and slogans", he added.
"They chose politics over progress. Their resistance to the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill has exposed exactly whose interests they truly serve," the Maharashtra chief minister, who called it an "Absolute shame", added.
Women across the country were taking note of the opposition's stand and "will not forget this", Fadnavis further said.
The BJP would take to the streets from Saturday to ensure "every right, every justice, every honour" for women, he warned.
Absolute shame❗️
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 17, 2026
The entire nation watched the opposition’s hypocrisy today.
They had a historic chance to stand with our #NariShakti, and they failed.
Women empowerment, for them, exists only in speeches and slogans.
They chose politics over progress. Their resistance to the… - 17 April 2026 9:47 PM IST
Telangana BJP chief slams Congress: 'Bill's defeat is defeat for India's women'
Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Friday slammed the Congress, accusing it of stalling the Constitution Amendment Bill on women's reservation, and termed it a "black day".
In a video release, he accused the Congress of prioritising the Nehru family's interests over broader representation.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's reported remarks on the lack of representation for Muslims in the bill, he said, "Rahul Gandhi ji also says he opposes the bill as there is no reservation for Muslims. This defeat of the bill is a defeat of women of the country. Congress will pay a price." He urged the women in Telangana to "drive away" Congress leaders for the injustice caused to them by the party.
The Telangana BJP called for protests against Congress for voting against the women's reservation amendments bill.
- 17 April 2026 9:42 PM IST
BJP's Maithili Thakur blasts opposition, says it has 'anti-women mindset'
Bihar BJP MLA Maithili Thakur has accused the opposition of possessing an "anti-women mindset" after the Constitution amendment bill brought by the National Democratic Alliance government to tweak women's quota law was defeated in Lok Sabha on Friday.
The bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated in the Lower House after it failed to muster the required two-thirds majority.
While 298 members voted in support of the bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
"The voting on the bill in the Lok Sabha has fully exposed the opposition's anti-women mindset. It is now evident that for the opposition, women's empowerment is merely a political slogan rather than a genuine commitment," Thakur, who won her first election last November, said.
- 17 April 2026 9:29 PM IST
After NDA falters, TN CM says pass women's reservation bill 'NOW'
Soon after the women's reservation bill hit a roadblock in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) supremo MK Stalin not only slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over pushing the legislation just ahead of the polls but also demanded an immediate passage of the bill, saying his state was among the earliest to implement reservation for women in local bodies.
In a long post on X in both English and Tamil, he said, "The BJP called for a Special Session in the middle of state elections, over two and a half years after the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, only to confirm that it cannot be implemented without a Census and delimitation.
"Let us be very clear: We want the Women’s Reservation Bill to be implemented NOW. Tamil Nadu was among the earliest to implement reservation for women in local bodies.
"Our concern is with delimitation, which requires careful thought to ensure it is fair, especially for southern states. We asked for consultation, clarity, and consensus. At the very least, the Bill could have been delinked and implemented."
Accusing the National democratic Alliance of not delinking the bill from delimitation, Stalin said, "This is not justice. This is not intent. This is optics."
"Women across India are not a vote bank. They are watching. The truth is simple: the BJP could have delivered. It chose not to."
- 17 April 2026 9:13 PM IST
Celebrating defeat of Women's Reservation Bill beyond imagination: Amit Shah
Amit Shah alleged that the Congress, TMC, DMK and Samajwadi Party blocked the passage of the Amendment Bill related to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
He claimed that the Opposition parties rejected and opposed the Bill despite its intended objective of women’s reservation, calling the development “reprehensible.” The home minister also accused the Opposition of repeatedly acting against women’s interests and said they would face strong public backlash from women in future elections. "The opposition will have to face the 'wrath of women' not only in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, but at every level, in every election, and at every place," he posted on his social media handle.
- 17 April 2026 9:05 PM IST
CPI(M) MLA Tarigami accuses Govt of politicising Women’s Reservation Bill
Senior CPI(M) leader and Kulgam MLA M Y Tarigami said the delimitation bill is "politically motivated".
"The agenda for this session was women's reservation. However, unfortunately, the government brought the amendment and linked it with census and delimitation which are two separate issues. This special Parliament session, and linking women's reservation with census and delimitation is politically motivated," he said.
He emphasised the need to implement women reservation that has been pending since 2023.
"They could not find time for it till now, but right when assembly elections are ongoing in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, they remember women's reservation, linking it with census and delimitation. It is politically motivated; this is a very important issue and should not be diluted or used for partisan interests," the senior CPI(M) leader said. - 17 April 2026 9:04 PM IST
Delimitation will reshape Indian politics, warns PDP MLA
People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Pulwama MLA Waheed Para on Friday (April 17) said delimitation would forever change the country's electoral politics and, therefore, should not be rushed without consultations.
"Delimitation will bring a forever change to India's electoral politics. The government should not rush in this decision and more importantly, there should be larger consultations before bringing the bill," Para told reporters.
He said there are concerns from several quarters on whether a single party can take such a lasting call regarding the nature of democracy and the electoral politics of the country.
"There are apprehensions among lot of people, whether minorities or opposition parties, or those who are not heard. Should India's democracy run only on majoritarian numbers? Should governance be qualitative or solely defined by quantity? This is the concern all of us share," he said.
- 17 April 2026 9:01 PM IST
BJP MP Poonamben slams INDIA bloc over women’s quota Bill
BJP MP Poonamben Maadam said that it was decided in 2023 that women’s reservation would be implemented nationwide by the 2029 General Elections. She alleged that when the government brought the Bill, the INDIA bloc, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, opposed it and stalled its passage.
She further said that women across the country would not forgive the INDIA bloc, accusing them of “betraying” women and doing “great injustice” by blocking the legislation. "The nation's women will not forgive Rahul Gandhi and INDI alliance... They did a huge injustice and betrayed the women of the nation," she said.
- 17 April 2026 8:57 PM IST
NDA women MPs stage a protest outside Parliament
After the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill failed in the Lok Sabha, NDA women MPs staged a protest outside Parliament, targeting Congress.
