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Members of the three-party coalition had voted in a preliminary ballot on Wednesday to reject the legislation that limits presidents to staying in office for one term.
I hope [they] will re-evaluate the situation  |
Bulent Ecevit
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"I hope [they] will re-evaluate the situation [and] consider the consequences" of their decision, he said at Ankara airport before leaving for India.
He added: "What upsets me most ... is the fact that many deputies who signed the amendment proposal did not stand behind their signatures."
Mr Ecevit said he would consider every option possible, even resigning, to push through the amendment that will allow President Suleyman Demirel to stay in office after his seven-year term expires in May.
Wednesday's ballot for the amendment, which allows presidents to stay for two five-year terms, won only 253 votes - considerably short of the 367 votes required. The final vote is on 5 April.
Stability threatened
Mr Ecevit, who had argued that retaining President Demirel in office would help stability, said he was now weighing the government's future.
 President Demirel's term expires in May
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Mr Ecevit fears that Mr Demirel's departure could set off a damaging political fight for the presidency which would threaten the survival of the three-party coalition and hamper parliament's legislative programme.
The government may now be forced to withdraw the reforms altogether or seek support from the opposition Islamist Virtue Party, which wants more provisions to make it harder to ban political parties.
Virtue currently faces a possible ban for anti-secular activities.
Mr Ecevit's latest remarks may indicate he is willing to negotiate again with Virtue.
But one member of the coalition, the Nationalist Action Party, said on Thursday that it would not agree to any concessions to the Islamists.
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