Women’s Reservation, Delimitation Bills face crucial vote today

Addressing the House on Thursday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "The discussion will be held for 12 hours."

New Delhi: Voting on three bills in the Lok Sabha, aimed at amending the women’s reservation law and establishing a delimitation commission, is scheduled to take place on Friday, April 17.

Addressing the House on Thursday, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “The discussion will be held for 12 hours. The speaker should have the authority to extend the time for discussion. The voting on the bills will be done tomorrow.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla subsequently clarified that the debate could go on for a longer duration if required, indicating flexibility in the schedule to accommodate detailed deliberations by members.

He said, “Discussion on these three bills will be held for 15-18 hours. Voting on these bills will be done at 4 p.m. tomorrow.” He further assured that everyone will be given “appropriate time” to speak during the discussion.

The introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at enabling women’s reservation and facilitating delimitation, was approved in the Lok Sabha on Thursday following a division of votes in the House.

The development came after the Opposition pressed for a recorded vote, leading to a formal division process. Union Law Minister Arjun Meghwal rose in the House to table the Bill, marking a key step in the legislative process. The introduction follows an earlier round of voting in which Members of Parliament supported bringing the Bill forward for discussion.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill 2026 and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, were introduced. Earlier, the Lok Sabha had voted in favour of introducing the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, after the Opposition demanded a division.

Following the use of vote slips, the distribution stood at 251 in support and 185 against, announced Speaker Om Birla, adding that it is subject to change. The Lok Sabha typically relies on voice voting to pass motions; however, when the outcome is contested, a “division” is conducted.

In such cases, the Automatic Vote Recorder system is used to record votes as “Ayes”, “Noes”, or “Abstain”. Subsequently, vote slips were also utilised during the proceedings after the division, with a total of 333 members casting their votes and no abstentions recorded in that round.

“If any member wishes to change the vote, they may call for voting through slips,” the Lok Sabha Secretary General had earlier informed the House. The Opposition had insisted on a division as the House took up voting on the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

The motion required a simple majority to be carried, and the voting process was conducted accordingly amid heightened political engagement.