The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 got 298 votes for and 230 against in the Lok Sabha. Why did it fail?

It did not get a majority of the members present and voting

The Rajya Sabha rejected it first

Under Article 94(c), a resolution to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha must be passed by:

A simple majority of members present and voting

Two-thirds of the members present and voting

A majority in a joint sitting of both Houses

Under Article 324(5), an Election Commissioner other than the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office:

Only in the manner of a Supreme Court judge

By a resolution of the Lok Sabha alone

Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils exist in which four States?

Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland

Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh

Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram

How many members does Parliament's Public Accounts Committee have?

31: 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha

30: 20 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha

Current Affairs · Micro-test

Polity Current Affairs 2026

Parliament and the Constitution had an unusual year: an amendment that failed on the floor, a motion to remove the Speaker, a State renamed and President's Rule ended. Each question ties a 2026 event to the Article behind it.

10 questions · 5 minutes · instant scoring

What this topic actually tests

CLAT rarely asks for a date alone. It asks which Article governs an event and what that Article requires. The 131st Amendment failed because Article 368(2) needs two-thirds of those present and voting; the Speaker removal motion turned on Article 94(c); Kerala became Keralam under Article 3, not Article 368. The stories behind these questions, with their sources, are in the 30-day course: days 1, 2, 4 and 5.

The common trap on this topic

Mixing up the majorities. A simple majority is of those present and voting; an absolute or effective majority is of the whole House; a special majority under Article 368 needs both a majority of the total membership and two-thirds of those present and voting. Read which one a question is about before choosing.

Polity Current Affairs 2026: answers and explanations

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 got 298 votes for and 230 against in the Lok Sabha. Why did it fail?
Answer: A. It did not get two-thirds of the members present and voting
Article 368(2) needs two-thirds of those present and voting as well as a majority of the total membership. Two-thirds of 528 is 352, and the Bill got 298.
Under Article 94(c), a resolution to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha must be passed by:
Answer: D. A majority of all the then members of the House
Article 94(c) requires a majority of all the then members of the House, after at least 14 days' notice. The 2026 resolution was defeated by voice vote on 11 March.
Under paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule, a merger protects legislators from disqualification if at least what share of the legislature party agrees to it?
Answer: C. Two-thirds
Paragraph 4 requires two-thirds. The one-third 'split' exception was deleted by the 91st Amendment in 2003. Seven of AAP's ten Rajya Sabha members relied on it in April 2026.
Parliament changed the name of Kerala to 'Keralam' in 2026. Under which Article does Parliament have this power?
Answer: C. Article 3
Article 3 lets Parliament change the name of a State by law, on the President's recommendation, after referring the Bill to the State legislature for its views. Article 4 says it is not a constitutional amendment under Article 368.
Under Article 324(5), an Election Commissioner other than the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office:
Answer: D. Only on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner
The CEC has the same protection as a Supreme Court judge. The other Election Commissioners can be removed only on the CEC's recommendation.
Under the 2023 law on appointing the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, who sits on the selection committee with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha?
Answer: B. A Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister
The 2023 Act replaced the Chief Justice, whom the Court had put on the panel in Anoop Baranwal (2023) as an interim measure, with a Union Cabinet Minister.
A proclamation under Article 356 can continue beyond one year only if:
Answer: D. A national emergency is in force and the Election Commission certifies that elections cannot be held
Article 356(5), added by the 44th Amendment, allows continuation beyond one year only on both conditions.
Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils exist in which four States?
Answer: D. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
The Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Nagaland and Manipur have special provisions under Articles 371A and 371C instead.
The National Commission for Backward Classes became a constitutional body under which Article?
Answer: A. Article 338B
The 102nd Amendment (2018) inserted Article 338B. Article 338A is the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes; Article 340 provides for a commission to investigate backward classes.
How many members does Parliament's Public Accounts Committee have?
Answer: C. 22: 15 from the Lok Sabha and 7 from the Rajya Sabha
The PAC has 22 members. The Estimates Committee has 30, all from the Lok Sabha; departmental standing committees have 31.

FAQ

Why did the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fail in 2026?

It got 298 votes for and 230 against in the Lok Sabha on 17 April 2026. That is a majority, but not the two-thirds of members present and voting that Article 368(2) requires.

Has a Lok Sabha Speaker ever been removed?

No. The resolution against Speaker Om Birla was defeated by voice vote on 11 March 2026, the first such resolution since 1987.

Who can change the name of a State?

Parliament, by law under Article 3, on the President's recommendation and after referring the Bill to the State legislature for its views. Kerala became Keralam this way in 2026.

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