Only a regime hopelessly besotted with its own cleverness could think of seeking passage of a constitutional amendment Bill, fully aware that it did not command a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. That too, in the middle of crucial campaigning for the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal assembly elections; and, for good dramatic effect, calling a special session of parliament to push ahead with this sleight of hand.The ruling party’s over-clever and over-cynical floor-managers have ended up doing great damage to parliament’s institutional reputation. Not that they are going to lose their sleep over it.The ruling regime’s cheerleaders were all in admiration over how Prime Minister Narendra Modi had very cleverly caught the opposition on the wrong-foot in the Lok Sabha on Thursday: telling his rivals that if they voted against the move to expand the house to 850 MPs and conduct a delimitation of constituencies on the basis of the latest census data – steps that he inexplicably and illogically sought to link to the reservation of a third of parliamentary seats for women – they would be incurring the permanent wrath of women voters. The sheriff had fired his silver bullet.How could a cabal which prides itself on its earthiness, on its connect with the masses on the ground, on its ear cocked to the nuances and anxieties in the bazaar, exaggerate the emotional traction of reservations for women in parliament and assemblies? And, no one knows better than the ruling coterie how it has hollowed out the country’s legislatures. If anything, it is a delicious irony that this very ‘Bharatiya’ dispensation has fallen for a proposal that was first mooted in parliament by the much-hated Lutyens’ elite.That apart, Friday’s vote in the Lok Sabha – 298 ayes to 230 noes, but well below the two-thirds mark needed – underscores an undeniable erosion of the ruling party’s two assets.First, the prime minister is no longer able to set the narrative; nor is he effective enough to move the reluctant to his own corner. He comes across as a partisan figure, not as a healing guru in a deeply divided nation; more significantly, his trustworthiness quotient seems to have worn out. Public trust was Narendra Modi’s most potent weapon. That stands blunted. No one was willing to believe him or his “solemn” assurances about this tricky business of delimitation that is surreptitiously sought to be pegged on to the women’s reservation.A prime minister who engages in rhetorical excesses of monumental dimensions outside the house cannot possibly be taken at his face value inside the Lok Sabha. A ferocious partisan at the hustings, Modi cannot easily come to parliament and pretend to be the authentic voice of the nation.Beyond the rejection of the constitutional amendment, the entire National Democratic Alliance government is seen reeking with dishonesty and insincerity. Imagine, the Nari Shakti Vandana Adhyniyam passed back in September 2023 was finally notified in the gazette only at 9:55 pm on Thursday night. How pathetically sophomoric!Second, the treasury benches’ failure to seduce or cajole or otherwise frog-march non-NDA members to vote for the women’s Bill marks a decisive moment in national politics. That the opposition could hold on to its votes suggests that the Modi-induced aura of invincibility is receding. And the consequences of this will be adverse for the ruling dispensation and its operatives.It must be hoped that the assertion of a kind of parliamentary wholesomeness would also embolden the judiciary to be vigilant in its role as the watchdog of constitutional morality.If the institutional balance in India over the past decade has shifted away from the requisite equilibrium and in favour of a maximalist executive, it is only because at key moments the Supreme Court – under various chief justices – has allowed itself to be overawed by the ruling party’s perceived political momentum.The ruling coterie’s conceit and smugness has made a mockery of the Constitution and its values and principles – and its leaders have been allowed to get away with the violation of constitutional ethics and morality. The moment should be seized and the Constitution should be restored to necessary majesty.The next few weeks would be crucial. Having been taken to the cleaners in the Lok Sabha, the ruling establishment can be relied upon to try to recoup its political fortunes in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Having become addicted to having their way, the Shahenshah and Shah and their spear-carriers are not going to retire to their corner and lick their wounds. Till polling is over in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the saffron establishment will resort to every trick to manufacture a “victory”.This is the time when judicial watchfulness will be tested, given the Election Commission’s unapologetic bias in favour of the ruling party at the Union government. And, of course, beyond the polling, extraordinary precautions would be needed on counting day.Friday the 17th of April 2026 will turn out to be a very good day in the history of our republic. We are entitled to reinforce the confidence that there are limits to the 21st-century phenomenon of totalitarians using the democratic mandate and democratic procedures to molest and degrade the Constitution. Baba Ambedkar would see Friday’s vote as a belated birthday gift.Harish Khare was editor-in-chief of The Tribune. This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire – and has been republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.