The Centre will convene a three-day special session of Parliament from Aug. 16 to 18 to take up the Women's Reservation Bill and the Delimitation Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday.
"No proposal to extend any dates of Parliament session. Special session from August 16 to 18 on Women's Reservation and Delimitation Bills," Rijiju told media.
The clarification comes days after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to implement 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures ahead of the 2029 general elections, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha.
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The government secured 298 votes in favour of the bill, while 230 members voted against it. With 528 MPs participating in the division, the legislation required 352 votes to pass.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to operationalise the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Following the bill's defeat, two related legislations, including one proposing delimitation and an increase in the strength of the Lok Sabha, were not taken up for voting.
The proposed amendments sought to operationalise the provisions of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam before the 2029 general elections by allowing delimitation without waiting for a fresh Census. They also proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from the current 543 seats to as many as 850 to accommodate the reservation framework.
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During the debate, which stretched late into Thursday and continued on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged MPs to support the legislation, saying it should be viewed in the national interest rather than through a political lens.
Addressing concerns over the impact of seat redistribution on southern states, Modi said he had personally assured the House that no injustice would be done to the region if the Lok Sabha's strength was expanded.
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