Delimitation must be implemented, parties must decide: Harivansh

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh stated that the constitutional provision for delimitation must be implemented. He urged political parties to reach a consensus to either proceed or amend the Constitution, arguing against further postponement.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh emphasised on Sunday that the constitutional mandate for delimitation must be implemented, asserting that political parties need to jointly decide whether to proceed or amend the provision rather than continuing to defer it. In an interview with ANI, Harivansh pointed out that the redrawing of constituency boundaries has already been postponed twice in India's political history.

"I have a very clear stand on this. This is for the political parties to decide. But the Constitution has a provision for delimitation. If you talk about following the Constitution, you've postponed the delimitation in the Constitution twice," he said.

Historical Deferrals of Delimitation

Harivansh noted that the delimitation exercise was previously deferred during the tenures of Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee due to prevailing political circumstances.

"There is a provision in the Constitution. Once, from what I remember, it was postponed during Indira Gandhi's time, and once during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's time. The governments at that time couldn't decide what was to be done, whatever the situation might have been. If this government wants to take a decision, either way, the Parliament will decide," he added.

'Implement the Constitution or Bring a New Provision'

Emphasising his role from a neutral constitutional perspective, the Deputy Chairman stated that unless political parties come together to pass a new provision, constitutional mandates should not be repeatedly stalled.

"Either you all bring a new constitution together and say that this is what we have for delimitation - bring a new provision - and let everyone decide together. Otherwise, for how long will you keep postponing the things that are already in the Constitution? You'll have to do it. I'm in favour of the Constitution. In the position that I am in right now, I'm saying this from a constitutional perspective," he added.

Link to Women's Reservation Bill

The discussion comes amid ongoing debate over the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves 33 per cent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies but remains constitutionally linked to a delimitation exercise conducted after post-2026 census data.

When asked about allegations that women's reservation was being linked to delimitation, the Deputy Chairman said the government would respond to that.

"The people from the government will tell you about that. The government people will answer that. I... you asked me about delimitation. So, the constitutional provision for delimitation should be implemented. And if it's not to be implemented, then all the parties should get together and decide about this constitutional provision. But if something is there in the Constitution and you keep postponing it, would you want to glorify this indecisiveness?," he told ANI.

The statement follows political debate over the issue after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposed expanding the Lok Sabha's strength to 850 seats, was defeated in Parliament earlier this year amid opposition pushback against the proposed delimitation framework. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)