Key alliance figures attend strategy meet; Constitution amendment falls short of required majority despite 298 votes in favour


New Delhi, April 17 : Senior leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) met in Parliament on Friday amid intense political activity surrounding the women’s reservation legislation, which was later defeated in the Lok Sabha.
The meeting saw the presence of Union ministers including J. P. Nadda, Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Meghwal and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with BJP national president Nitin Nabin. Several alliance partners and senior figures such as Shrikant Shinde, Anupriya Patel, Jayant Chaudhary, H. D. Deve Gowda, M. Thambidurai, Upendra Kushwaha and Dileshwar Kamait were also present.
The meeting took place during the special session of Parliament, where a Constitution Amendment Bill proposing implementation of women’s reservation from the 2029 general elections was put to vote.
The bill failed to pass, as it did not secure the constitutionally mandated two-thirds majority of members present and voting. While 298 MPs supported the proposal, 230 voted against it.