‘False story’: Amit Shah rejects claims that delimitation will weaken southern states. india news
Union Home Minister Amit Shah
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on Thursday that the representation of the five southern states in the House will increase from 129 seats to 195 once the proposed expansion of the Lower House comes into effect, rejecting claims that the Centre’s delimitation plan will dilute their political weight as a “false narrative” has been created to mislead people.Speaking during the debate on the amendment bills related to women’s reservation and the proposed delimitation framework, Shah said the total strength of the Lok Sabha will increase to 816 seats, although the law mentions a cap of 850 seats as the figure is rounded off. He said that 816 represents an increase of exactly 50 per cent compared to the existing 543 elected seats.
Breaking down the revised numbers of the southern states, Shah said: “In Karnataka, the number of Lok Sabha seats will increase to 42 from the current 28; in Andhra Pradesh, the number of Lok Sabha seats will increase from 25 to 38; in Telangana, it will increase to 26 from the current 17; in Tamil Nadu, the number of Lok Sabha seats will increase to 59 from the current 39; and in Kerala, it will increase to 30 seats from the current 20.” Will go.”He said the combined share of the southern states in the Lok Sabha will increase slightly from the current 23.76 per cent to 23.87 per cent, taking the total to around 24 per cent.Rejecting opposition allegations that the government could manipulate the delimitation process, 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 in it, not even a comma or a full stop,” he said.On the women’s reservation measure, Shah clarified that the quota will not be effective immediately and will be implemented only from the 2029 general elections. Till then, he said, every election including the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will continue under the existing electoral structure.Directly addressing Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shah remarked: “Akhilesh ji, you need not worry even though you are not going to win the elections in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.She also rejected suggestions that the timing of the Women’s Reservation Bill was linked to the upcoming West Bengal elections.On caste census, Shah said that the government has already approved the caste census and it will be conducted along with the population census process. Referring to the Samajwadi Party’s criticism, he said, “Right now, the counting of houses is going on and there is no caste of the houses. If the Samajwadi Party has its way, it will also determine the caste of the families.The Lok Sabha is currently considering the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Union Territory Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. Under the proposed structure, 272 seats will be reserved for women in the expanded 816-member Lok Sabha, equivalent to one-third of the House.