Bhubaneswar, April 17 -- In a significant political development, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill seeking to provide reservation for women failed to pass in the Lok Sabha after it could not secure the required two-thirds majority.

The Bill received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, with a total of 528 members participating in the voting. However, constitutional amendment Bills require a special majority, at least two-thirds of the members present and voting, to be approved.

With an effective strength of 537 in the Lok Sabha, the two-thirds benchmark stood at 360 votes. Despite securing a simple majority, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has 293 members, fell short by 67 votes, leading to the Bill's defeat....