Amit Shah Assures Southern States' Representation Boost

In New Delhi on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured lawmakers in the Lok Sabha that proposed increases in parliamentary seats would enhance representation for southern states rather than diminish it, countering opposition concerns during a debate on legislation to implement women's reservation and constituency delimitation.

The debate centered on three bills: the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at early enforcement of women's reservation; the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. These measures seek to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 seats to 816, a 50 percent increase, with 272 seats reserved for women, representing one-third of the total. The changes would take effect for the 2029 general elections, leaving interim polls, including the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, under the current framework.

Shah addressed fears that population-based delimitation would disadvantage southern states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which currently hold 129 seats, or 23.76 percent of the Lok Sabha. He projected that their representation would rise to 195 seats,...