Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on Thursday that the five southern states would together see their representation in the House rise from 129 seats to 195 once the proposed expansion of the Lower House takes effect, dismissing claims that the Centre’s delimitation plan would reduce their political weight as “false narrative” meant to mislead people.Speaking during the debate on the women’s reservation-related amendment bills and the proposed delimitation framework, Shah said the total strength of the Lok Sabha would rise to 816 seats, though the legislation mentions a ceiling of 850 because that figure is rounded. He explained that 816 reflects a precise 50 per cent increase over the current 543 elected seats.Breaking down the southern states’ revised numbers, Shah said: “Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will increase to 42 from the present 28; in Andhra Pradesh, the number of Lok Sabha sets will increase to 38 from 25; in Telangana, it will be 26 from present 17; in Tamil Nadu, the number of Lok Sabha seats will go up to 59 from the present 39; and in Kerala, it will be 30 seats from the present 20,” he said.He added that the southern states’ combined share in the Lok Sabha would edge up slightly, from 23.76 per cent at present to 23.87 per cent, close to 24 per cent overall.Rejecting opposition allegations that the government could manipulate the delimitation exercise, Shah said the current bill mirrors earlier legal provisions introduced under previous governments. “The delimitation bill is exactly like the previous law brought by your government. There is no change, not even a comma or a full stop,” he said.On the women’s reservation measure, Shah clarified that the quota would not take effect immediately and would apply only from the 2029 general election onward. Until then, he said, every election, including the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, would continue under the existing electoral structure.Addressing Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav directly, Shah remarked: “Akhilesh ji, you don’t need to worry even though you are not going to win the elections in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.He also dismissed suggestions that the timing of the women’s reservation bill was linked to the upcoming West Bengal elections.On caste enumeration, Shah said the government had already approved a caste census and it would be conducted alongside the population census process. Referring to criticism from the Samajwadi Party, he said: “Right now, the counting of households is underway and the households do not have any caste. If the Samajwadi Party had its way, it would determine the caste of households as well,” he said.The Lok Sabha is currently considering the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. Under the proposed framework, the expanded 816-member Lok Sabha would include 272 seats reserved for women, amounting to one-third of the House.
