The women’s quota bill failed to pass the Lok Sabha test on Friday.The NDA got 298 votes and the INDIA bloc 230. As per the two-thirds mandate, the government needed 352 votes to get the legislation passed.The government withdrew the remaining two bills.Earlier, Parliament witnessed several heated moments during the debate on the bill.Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address made an appeal to the Members of the House, urging them “not to deprive Nari Shakti of new opportunities”.Rahul Gandhi hit out at the bill alleging that Women’s Reservation Bill is being used to “reshape electoral map of India”.Women’s quota amendment bill to fall flat if Opposition doesn’t vote in its favour: ShahApril 17, 2026 7:04 pmWomen’s quota amendment bill to fall flat if Opposition doesn’t vote in its favour, but women are watching who the obstacle is: Amit Shah. PTIAmit Shah assures of official amendment mentioning 50 pc increase in LS seatsApril 17, 2026 6:58 pmAmit Shah assures of official amendment mentioning 50 pc increase in LS seats across states if opposition agrees. PTIShah trashes claims that bill to amend women’s quota law aimed at delaying caste enumeration during censusApril 17, 2026 6:57 pmAmit Shah trashes claims that bill to amend women’s quota law aimed at delaying caste enumeration during census. PTICong deprived people of delimitation when it was in power: ShahApril 17, 2026 6:56 pmCong deprived people of delimitation when it was in power; it is still doing the same: Amit Shah in LS. PTIDelimitation will lead to rationalisation of voters in every constituency: ShahApril 17, 2026 6:29 pmDelimitation will lead to rationalisation of voters in every constituency: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. PTIPeople opposing delimitation are against increase in number of SC, ST seats: ShahApril 17, 2026 6:27 pmPeople opposing delimitation are against increase in number of SC, ST seats: Amit Shah. PTIThe 3 bills seek to ensure that 2029 Lok Sabha polls are held with women’s reservation: Amit ShahApril 17, 2026 6:26 pmThe 3 bills seek to ensure that 2029 Lok Sabha polls are held with women’s reservation: Amit Shah on amendment to women’s quota law. PTIOpposition not against implementation of quota law but against women’s reservation: ShahApril 17, 2026 6:26 pmOpposition not against implementation of quota law but against women’s reservation: Amit Shah. PTIINDI alliance members opposing women’s reservation with ifs and buts: ShahApril 17, 2026 6:25 pmINDI alliance members opposing women’s reservation with ifs and buts: Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha. PTINumber 16: What did Rahul Gandhi hint at when he said ‘my god, how crazy’ in LS?April 17, 2026 4:05 pmVIDEO | In Lok Sabha, LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “Yesterday I was watching the Prime Minister speak. Low energy, broken, nothing transmitting, and I suddenly noticed that yesterday was the 16th of April… He was not able to engage because clearly trying to pass this bill was a… pic.twitter.com/UKbggr71H0— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 17, 2026DMK’s arguments against women-quota law tweaks fear mongering: Kumaraswamy in LSApril 17, 2026 3:59 pmUnion minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Friday described the DMK’s arguments against bills to tweak the women-quota law as “fear mongering” and said they do not represent the views of the southern states. The DMK, which is in power in Tamil Nadu, has been vehemently opposing the bills and have raised concerns that they would adversely impact the southern states. During a discussion on the bills in the Lok Sabha, Kumaraswamy, who has been the chief minister of Karnataka twice, said the Congress is not prepared to handle the massive change and that the party has lost touch with people and does not know how to cope with this transformation. Terming the DMK’s arguments “fear mongering”, the heavy industries minister said those represent the party’s own views and not that of the southern states. “The Congress, which has lost the capacity to think independently, lost its ability to develop its own arguments is now being led by the DMK’s narrative,” he alleged, adding that the Opposition under the Congress has got into the habit of scaring people and creating a doomsday scenario about everything the government says. Kumaraswamy also said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who he claimed does not understand the head or tail of caste-based reservation, had argued at one point of time that reservation should be proportional to the size of the caste population but alleged that he does not want to extend the same argument to Parliamentary representation.Govt wants to change India’s electoral map, it’s nothing short of anti-national act: RahulApril 17, 2026 3:59 pmLeader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the constitution amendment bill has nothing to do with women’s reservation but is an attempt by the government to change the country’s electoral map by taking away representation from southern, northeastern and smaller states, which is “nothing short of an anti-national act”. Participating in a debate in the Lok Sabha on the three bills introduced for amendments in the women’s quota law and setting up a delimitation commission, the Congress leader said, “This is not a women’s bill as it has nothing to do with empowerment of women.” “This bill is an attempt to change the country’s electoral map, using and hiding behind India’s women,” he alleged. Gandhi said the government should bring back the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act for implementation, and the opposition will help the government pass it immediately. He accused the government of avoiding giving power and representation to OBCs, saying that was its real agenda, and also alleged that it was trying to make sure that the caste census has nothing to do with representation for the next 15 years. “They are scared of the erosion of their strength, and are trying to rejig the Indian political map,” he said. “The government is telling the southern, northeastern, and smaller states that for the BJP to remain in power, ‘we are going to take away representation from you’,” Gandhi said. What the government is doing is nothing short of an “anti-national act”, Gandhi said. “We won’t allow you to do it; the entire opposition will defeat this attempt. I want to assure the southern, northeastern, and smaller states that we will not allow the government to touch your representation in the Union of India,” he said. Gandhi said the BJP knew that the bill could not be passed, and bringing it was a “panic reaction” because Prime Minister Narendra Modi had two objectives — to change India’s electoral map and show that he is pro-women.