Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has strongly defended the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, seeking to allay fears of regional imbalance by assuring a uniform 50 per cent increase in parliamentary representation across all states. He announced that the total strength of the Lok Sabha would rise to 815 seats, including 272 seats reserved for women under the proposed framework.
The minister’s remarks come at a time when opposition parties have raised concerns over a potential “north-south divide” emerging from the delimitation process. Addressing these apprehensions, Meghwal emphasized that the expansion would be equitable and would not disadvantage any particular region or demographic group.
“There will be an equal, 50 per cent increase in the strength of Lok Sabha members, and this will translate to 815 seats, of which 272 will be reserved for women, which comes to one-third of the strength of the House,” Meghwal stated, underlining the government’s commitment to balancing representation with gender inclusion.
Meghwal, who introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill along with the Delimitation Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha, maintained that the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act—also referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam—would not come at the cost of either states or male representation. According to him, the proposed expansion ensures that no existing stakeholder loses out in the process.
However, the opposition has remained unconvinced. Leaders from the Indian National Congress and other parties have argued that southern states, which have historically performed better on population control metrics, could face reduced proportional influence following delimitation. At the same time, they clarified that their opposition is not directed at women’s reservation itself, but at the manner and timing of its implementation.
Congress leader K. C. Venugopal and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned why the proposed changes were not incorporated when the women’s reservation law was passed in 2023. They accused the government of rushing through the current bills without adequate groundwork, particularly highlighting the absence of a completed Census as a critical gap.
Responding to these concerns, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted in Parliament that preparations for Census 2027 are already underway. In the same breath, he also took aim at opposition demands around religion-based reservation, reiterating that such provisions would be “unconstitutional.”
As the debate intensifies, the delimitation proposal has emerged as a politically charged issue, intertwining questions of federal balance, gender representation, and electoral strategy. While the government projects the move as a step toward inclusive and expanded representation, the opposition continues to demand greater transparency, procedural clarity, and adherence to constitutional sequencing before such a sweeping reform is implemented.
