PM Modi to address nation today after women’s quota bill defeat in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8:30 PM on Saturday, a day after a key bill aimed at implementing women's reservation in legislatures failed to pass in the Lok Sabha. The legislation, known as the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, was seen as a major step towards operationalising the long-pending plan to reserve 33 per cent of seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies. The bill required a two-thirds majority to pass, but only 298 members supported it, while 230 voted against it. The defeat marks a significant setback for the government, which had been pushing for the implementation of women's reservation as a major political reform. Modi's address is expected to outline the government's next steps and respond to the political developments surrounding the bill. The issue of women's reservation has been debated for decades and has again come to the centre of national political discourse.