Congress MP P Chidambaram has termed the proposed delimitation bill 'mischievous and diabolical'. He claims increasing Lok Sabha seats will disproportionately shrink the representation of southern states, altering the federal balance.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Wednesday called the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha a "mischievous and diabolical" move, alleging that the representation of the southern states in Parliament will shrink.
Details of Delimitation Proposal
According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850, with 815 seats proposed to the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.
Chidambaram's Calculation on Seat Share
In an X post, P Chidambaram said that a 50 per cent increase in the number of seats will not be proportional to each state, as the delimitation exercise is based on population in a constituency. He claimed that the representation of southern states will shrink from 24.3 per cent to about 20.7 per cent in the Lok Sabha.
He wrote, "The apprehensions I had voiced in the last week have proved right. When the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50 per cent from 543 to 815, the strength of TN will seemingly increase from 39 to 58. But this is an illusion. When delimitation takes place, it will reduce to 46. Uttar Pradesh's strength will first increase from 80 to 120 and, after delimitation, it will further increase to roughly 140."
"All the Southern States that have currently a representation of 24.3 per cent will find their representation reduced to 20.7 per cent. This is a mischievous, diabolical move to radically alter the federal balance. This must be OPPOSED," the Congress leader said.
Opposition Concerns and Link to Women's Reservation
Chidambaram's remarks come as Parliament is set to take up crucial discussions on the constitution amendment bill to implement the 33 per cent reservation for women from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls in a three-day special sitting of the budget session starting April 16.
As Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850. Opposition parties have expressed their concerns about the proposed Delimitation Bill, alleging that it will limit the representation of the southern states in the Lok Sabha. Opposition parties have also objected to the government's "rushing" of the Bill before the general census. (ANI)
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