India, April 18 -- In a major embarrassment for the Union Government, a Constitution Amendment Bill to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816 was defeated on Friday, with the ruling dispensation asserting that the struggle to give rights to women will continue. This was for the first time a bill under the BJP-led Government was defeated in the Parliament.

While 298 members voted in support of the bill in the Lok Sabha, 230 MPs voted against it. The bill required 352 votes for a two-third majority. While the opposition called it their triumph, ruling leaders remarked it's a blessing in disguise, which gives the latter an opportunity to label the Congress-led Opposition as anti...