The 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, designed to mandate a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, failed to pass in Parliament. The legislation received 298 votes in favour and 230 against, falling short of the 360 votes required for a two-thirds majority. This defeat ensures the quota will not be implemented for the 2029 elections. The ruling coalition staged protests inside the Parliament complex, accusing the opposition of obstructing women's empowerment. Opposition members defended their stance, stating they oppose linking the reservation to a future delimitation exercise, which they claim threatens regional power dynamics and southern states. Following the vote, a southern state chief minister burned a copy of the delimitation resolution to celebrate the outcome. The Union Home Minister warned of electoral consequences for the opposition. The ruling alliance has since convened a meeting to strategise for upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu amid this deepening political standoff over legislative representation.
The Congress party has selected VD Satheesan as the next Chief Minister of Kerala, following the United Democratic Front's assembly election victory. The six-time MLA will take the oath of office on May 18.
In our 'Get Real India' segment, watch this story about how a farmer in Maharashtra's Chintaraj village in Dharashiv district set his entire onion stock of six hundred sacks on fire after traders offered a price of just one rupee per kilo for the produce.
US President Donald Trump's high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing concluded with optics of warmth but no major breakthroughs on the West Asia war, Taiwan, or trade.
After an eleven-day deadlock, the Congress high command has appointed a new Chief Minister for Kerala, ending intense lobbying and factional disputes.
