India, April 26 -- In a special session of Parliament on 16-17 April, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, designed to finally operationalise 33% reservation for women, failed to secure the two-thirds majority it needed.

Starting from 1996 when the demand was raised through 81st Amendment Act to the 106th Constitution Act, 2023 promised that one in every three seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies will be reserved for women. Though in 2023 the bill was passed with a huge majority, it linked implementation to the post-census delimitation exercise. Given that the 2021 Census has been indefinitely delayed, this meant reservation could not arrive until 2034 or beyond, therefore, effectively pushing the promise int...