Parliament concluded a turbulent Budget session, passing crucial bills but failing to secure the women's reservation bill amid persistent opposition protests.
Key Points
- Parliament adjourned sine die after a stormy Budget session.
- The Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation was defeated.
- Key legislations, including the Central Armed Police Forces Bill, were passed.
- The session was marked by frequent opposition protests and discussions on the West Asia conflict.
- Both Houses of Parliament recorded high productivity despite disruptions.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Saturday, bringing to a close a stormy Budget session that began on January 28 and saw the passage of the Union Budget and several key legislations, alongside the defeat of a crucial Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned shortly after it met at 11 am, with Speaker Om Birla reading out his concluding remarks.
The session ended with a rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’, with all six stanzas of the national song played in the House for the first time.
In a major setback to the government, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures from 2029 and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 816 through delimitation, was defeated on Friday.
While 298 members voted in favour and 230 against, the Bill fell short of the required two-thirds majority of 352 votes out of 528 members present and voting.
This marked the first Bill of the Modi government to be defeated in Parliament.
Key Bills Passed During the Session
The session, originally scheduled to conclude on April 2, was extended by three days from April 16 to discuss the legislation.
In his valedictory remarks, Birla said the Lok Sabha held 31 sittings lasting about 151 hours and 42 minutes, with a productivity of 93 per cent.
The second half of the session, which began on March 9, saw the passage of the Finance Bill 2026–27, the Appropriation Bill and Demands for Grants for various ministries, completing the budgetary exercise.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied to the discussion on the Finance Bill in both Houses.
Opposition Protests and Key Discussions
The session was marked by frequent opposition protests over issues including the West Asia conflict, alleged shortage of oil and LPG, and demands for greater discussion.
Statements on the West Asia situation were made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
The opposition also demanded that the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel, alleging it went against a Supreme Court ruling.
Among key legislations, Parliament passed the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to create a unified legal framework for personnel across CAPFs; the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, providing for graded punishment based on the gravity of harm; and cleared the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, designating Amaravati as the state capital.
The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was sent to a parliamentary committee, while the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was not taken up following opposition objections.
Rajya Sabha Proceedings and Productivity
The session also saw the revocation of suspension of eight opposition MPs who had been suspended earlier for protests in the House.
The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned sine die by Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, who noted that the Upper House functioned for 157 hours and 40 minutes with a productivity of around 110 per cent.
In his valedictory remarks, Radhakrishnan highlighted that the session witnessed discussions on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address over four days, with participation from 79 members, and an extensive debate on the Union Budget 2026–27 involving 97 members.
The House also held discussions on the working of two key ministries and took note of statements on the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement and the West Asia situation.
He said 50 Private Members’ Bills were introduced, and members spoke in 12 regional languages on 94 occasions, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the House.
During the session, 117 questions were raised, alongside 446 zero-hour submissions and 207 special mentions.
During the special three-day sitting from April 16 to 18, the House re-elected Harivansh as Deputy Chairman for a third consecutive term.
The Chairman expressed appreciation for the cooperation of members across parties and emphasised that the Budget Session remains the most consequential of Parliament’s three annual sessions, shaping the country’s growth trajectory and impacting citizens' lives.
The defeat of the women's reservation bill highlights the challenges in achieving consensus on social reforms.
Such bills typically require a special majority under Article 368 of the Constitution.
Future sessions will likely see renewed efforts to address gender representation in legislatures.
