&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "PM Modi appeals to Opposition to back 33% women's reservation in Parliament | India 80th Independence Day")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a fresh appeal to the Opposition to support women's reservation in Parliament, saying women are advancing rapidly across sectors and deserve greater representation in India's legislative institutions.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on India's 80th Independence Day, Modi said women were moving ahead in several fields and called for 33 per cent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. "The women are going ahead in so many sectors," Modi said, before urging political parties to support the measure.
Modi recalls women's reservation push
The prime minister said his government had introduced a Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament but alleged that political considerations had prevented it from moving forward.
"We have introduced the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament but because of politics it could not pass," Modi said.
He appealed directly to Opposition parties to support the proposal and ensure that women receive 33 per cent representation in both Houses of Parliament. The appeal comes after a major political battle over the issue earlier this year.
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Also read | PM Modi appeals to Opposition to back 33% women's reservation in Parliament | India 80th Independence Day
Bill failed to secure required majority
In April 2026, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, aimed at providing one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in the Lower House.
According to the information provided, 298 MPs voted in favour of the legislation while 230 opposed it. With 528 members present, the Bill required 352 votes to clear the constitutional threshold.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla subsequently announced that the legislation could not proceed because it had failed to obtain the required majority.
BJP and Opposition traded blame
The failure triggered a political confrontation inside Parliament. Women MPs from the NDA staged a protest in the Parliament complex, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju accused Opposition parties of missing an opportunity to provide reservation to women.
Home Minister Amit Shah also criticised the Opposition, saying its celebration over the Bill's defeat was an "insult" to women who had been waiting for greater political representation.
The Opposition, however, rejected the government's framing of the legislation. Rahul Gandhi, speaking during the debate, said the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was not a genuine women's reservation bill and argued that it did not amount to women's empowerment.
Modi's Independence Day appeal now puts the issue back at the centre of the political debate, with the prime minister calling for Opposition support for 33 per cent reservation for women in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
