“Defeat of Arrogance,” Says Arvind Kejriwal After Women’s Quota Bill Fails in Lok Sabha
AAP chief criticises Centre as constitutional amendment on women’s reservation falls short in Parliament
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday strongly reacted to the failure of the Constitution Amendment Bill on women’s reservation, calling it a “defeat of arrogance.”
Responding after the Bill failed to pass in the Lok Sabha, Kejriwal took aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the government of pushing a flawed proposal.
He suggested that the outcome reflected growing opposition to the Centre’s approach, particularly its attempt to link women’s reservation with broader electoral changes such as delimitation.
The Bill, which aimed to introduce 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, could not secure the required two thirds majority. While 298 MPs voted in favour, 230 opposed it, falling short of the 352 votes needed for passage.
Apart from reservation, the proposal also included plans to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to a maximum of 850 seats, based on a delimitation exercise using the 2011 Census.
The defeat of the Bill has triggered strong political reactions across parties, with opposition leaders terming it a setback for the government, while the debate on women’s representation and electoral reforms continues.