New Delhi [India], April 15 (ANI): Congress will hold a parliamentary strategy group meeting on Wednesday at about 12:30 pm at party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi, ahead of the special sitting of the Parliament to discuss proposed amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023.While supporting the 33 per cent reservation for women legislators in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures, Congress has opposed the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, to carry out the delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha. ‘

As the 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, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories.

The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.Opposition leaders have flagged that the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, does not increase the seats in the Lok Sabha on a pro-rata basis and will allegedly shrink the representation of southern states in the House.Earlier today, 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.

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. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also called an emergency meeting of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs today to discuss the impact of the delimitation exercise on the state. The special sitting of Parliament will begin on Thursday, April 16. (ANI)

Delimitation will trigger massive agitation in South if it leads to injustice: KTR warns

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], April 15 (ANI): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao on Wednesday issued a strong warning to the Central Government over the issue of delimitation of constituencies.He cautioned that if the process results in reduced representation for Southern states, it would not remain merely a political or legislative exercise but could spark a widespread public agitation across South India.

KTR reiterated that the party’s stance on delimitation has remained unchanged for the past three years, emphasising that BRS continues to stand firmly by the position it had adopted earlier.He stated that people of the southern states are proud Indians who have played a significant role in the country’s development. Highlighting achievements in population control and progress across various sectors, KTR argued that it would be unjust to politically disadvantage these states through delimitation.

He criticised any move that reduces their representation, calling it contrary to the spirit of democracy, especially when such states should instead be encouraged to perform. KTR further asserted that the people of southern states in Parliament would not tolerate any attempt to suppress their voice and representation.

He stressed that they would fight uncompromisingly to protect the rights of the people of South India.In a social media post, he urged the Central Government to understand the ground realities and expressed hope that “those in power in Delhi will listen and act with wisdom.

The central government has proposed increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850 as part of its intention to implement the Women’s Reservation Act from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, with 815 seats proposed to the states and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories, according to sources.

The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. The government intends to move a Constitution amendment bill for the implementation of a 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha from 2029 in a special sitting of Parliament on April 16, 17,18.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged all political parties to support the proposed amendment bill, expressing confidence that by 2029, women will have stronger representation and greater rights in legislative bodies. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu: MK Stalin calls emergency meeting of DMK MPs to discuss impact of delimitation

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 15 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has convened an emergency meeting of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs at 11:00 am on Wednesday to discuss the impact of the delimitation exercise on the state.The meeting is set to take place to discuss the potential repercussions that Tamil Nadu may face in connection with the proposed constituency delimitation exercise. Key issues likely to be addressed include the impact on the state’s political representation and concerns over fairness in the redistribution of parliamentary seats.

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, with 815 seats proposed to the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.MK Stalin along with several other opposition leaders, has flagged that the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, does not increase the seats in the Lok Sabha on a pro-rata basis and will allegedly shrink the representation of southern states in the House.

On Tuesday, MK Stalin issued a strong warning to the Central government over the proposed delimitation exercise, alleging that the Union government intends to “bulldoze” a Constitutional amendment without proper consultation with states.He said Tamil Nadu would launch a massive agitation if the state’s interests are harmed or if southern states are disproportionately affected.In a video, CM Stalin said, “This video serves two purposes: to speak about the grave danger that has now reached the very doorstep of Tamil Nadu, and to issue a clear warning to the Union BJP government.

Even amidst the relentless pace of election campaigning, this duty cannot be set aside. The day after tomorrow, on April 16, a special session of Parliament is being convened. More accurately, it is being forcibly convened in the midst of elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In this session, the Union government intends to bulldoze through a Constitutional amendment on delimitation.”The Chief minister further said Tamil Nadu and other southern states had earlier followed population control and family planning measures as advised by the Centre, but were now facing potential consequences for it.Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has demanded a pro-rata basis increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha. (ANI)

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