Srinagar, April 17 -- Srinagar-In a major setback to the Centre, a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and expand the Lok Sabha to 816 seats was defeated in the Lower House on Friday after it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill garnered 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling well short of the 352 votes needed for passage. A total of 528 members participated in the voting.

The proposed legislation aimed to operationalise women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies ahead of the 2029 general elections by increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from the current 543 seats to 816, following a delimitation exe...