Ø
Amit
Shah intervenes in the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Delimitation Bill, 2026,
the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2026
Ø
No injustice
will be done to any state, particularly to the states of South India
Ø
The
Delimitation Bill, 2026 will benefit the southern states, not harm them
Ø
At present,
there are 129 MPs from South India; after this Bill, the number will increase to
195
Ø
We have
not made any changes to the Delimitation Commission Act; we have repeated the existing
Act exactly, down to the full stops and commas
Ø
This
Act will have no impact on the ongoing elections, whether in Tamil Nadu or West
Bengal; there is no question of it being implemented before 2029
Ø
All
elections to be held up to 2029 will be conducted on the existing seats and under
the present practice
Ø
The
census is conducted in two phases—first, the enumeration of houses, and then of
individuals, the first phase is currently underway, in which houses are being counted,
and since houses do not have a caste, there is no option for caste in the form at
this stage
Ø
The
question of caste census will arise when the enumeration of individuals is carried
out
Ø
850
seats is a rounded-off figure and represent the upper limit; the exact number of
seats will be 816, even at present, the rounded-off figure is not 543 seats, but
550 seats
Ø
Karnataka’s
existing 28 seats will increase to 42, and the state’s share in the total seats
will remain almost the same at 5.14 percent, compared to the current 5.15 percent
Ø
Andhra
Pradesh’s seats will increase from 25 to 38, and the state’s share in the total
seats will rise from 4.60 percent to 4.65 percent
Ø
Telangana’s
number of seats will increase from 17 to 26, and its share will rise from 3.13 percent
to 3.18 percent
Ø
I want
to assure the people of Tamil Nadu that your strength will not decrease; rather,
it is increasing
Ø
Tamil
Nadu’s existing seats will increase from 39 to 59, and the state’s share in the
total seats will rise from 7.18 percent to 7.23 percent
Ø
Keralam’s
20 seats will increase to 30, and the state’s share of seats will remain almost
the same
·
Clarification
on concerns: Amit
Shah dismissed fears that southern states will lose representation in the Lok
Sabha.
·
Overall
seat expansion:
o Total seats to rise from 543 to 816 (~50%
increase)
o Expansion ensures absolute increase in seats for all
states
·
Southern
states’ representation:
o Current: 129 seats (~23.76%)
o Proposed: 195 seats (~24%)
o Share remains nearly unchanged, no relative loss
·
Karnataka:
o 28 → 42 seats
o Share stable (~5.15% → ~5.14%)
·
Andhra
Pradesh:
o 25 → 38 seats
o Slight increase in share (~4.60% →
~4.65%)
·
Telangana:
o 17 → 26 seats
o Share rises (~3.13% → ~3.18%)
·
Tamil
Nadu:
o 39 → 59 seats
o Share improves (~7.18% → ~7.23%)
·
Kerala:
o 20 → 30 seats
o Share remains stable (~3.68% →
~3.67%)
·
No
reduction in influence:
Southern states will see both
numerical and proportional stability.
·
Implementation
timeline:
Changes will apply only
after 2029, post:
o Parliamentary approval
o Presidential assent
·
No
impact on upcoming elections:
Elections until 2029 will be held under the current system.
·
No
legal changes:
Government has not altered
the Delimitation Commission Act.
·
Government
to conduct caste-based
data collection in the upcoming census:
o Phase 1: House enumeration (ongoing)
o Phase 2: Individual data (will include
caste details)
·
Amit
Shah emphasized that:
o Democracy in India is driven by citizens’ will
o No authority can manipulate public mandate
o Electoral outcomes remain fully democratic
The proposed
delimitation aims to expand
representation without altering regional balance, ensuring
southern states gain seats while maintaining their overall share in Parliament.
Union
Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, while intervening in the discussion
in the Lok Sabha on the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment)
Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, said that a misconception
is being spread that after these three bills, the representation of the southern
states in the Lok Sabha will significantly reduce and they will suffer a major loss.
Union
Home Minister said that the Delimitation Bill, 2026 will not harm the southern states
but will, in fact, benefit them. He stated that under the 50% increase model, the
current 543 seats in the Lok Sabha will rise to 816, leading to an increase in the
number of seats for all southern states. Union Home Minister added that the existing
129 seats of the southern states in the Lok Sabha will increase to 195, and their
share in the total seats of the House will remain almost the same at around 24 per
cent.
Mr.
Amit Shah said that in the present House of 543 members, Karnataka currently has
28 members, which is about 5.15 per cent of the total. After the passage of the
proposed bills and the constitutional amendment, the number of seats for Karnataka
will increase from 28 to 42. In that case, in a Lok Sabha of 816 members, Karnataka’s
representation will remain around 5.14 per cent, therefore, Karnataka will not suffer
any loss.
Union
Home Minister said that Andhra Pradesh currently has 25 seats, with a representation
of about 4.60 per cent in the 543-member House. After the proposed changes, with
an increase of around 50 percent, the number of seats will rise to 38, and Andhra
Pradesh’s representation will increase to about 4.65 per cent. Similarly, Telangana
currently has 17 seats, with a representation of about 3.13 percent in the existing
Lok Sabha. After the proposed increase, the number of seats will go up to 26, and
its representation will reach around 3.18 percent.
Mr.
Amit Shah said that he would like to assure the people of Tamil Nadu that their
strength will not decrease but will, in fact, increase. The representation of Tamil
Nadu will not decline; rather, it will grow. At present, 39 members are elected
from Tamil Nadu, which is about 7.18 percent of the 543-member House. After the
proposed 50 percent increase, the number of seats will rise to around 59, and in
the new House of 816 members, its representation will be about 7.23 percent. Therefore,
it is clear that there will be no reduction in the representation of these states;
instead, there will be an increase.
Union
Home Minister said that Keralam currently has 20 Lok Sabha
MPs, representing about 3.68 percent of the 543-member House. After the proposed
increase, this number will rise from 20 to 30, and the representation will remain
around 3.67 percent.
Mr.
Amit Shah said that if the overall representation of southern India is considered,
currently 129 MPs come from the southern states in the 543-member House, which is
about 23.76 percent. After the proposed 50 percent increase, this number will rise
from 129 to 195, and in the 816-member House, their representation will be around
23.87 percent, i.e., approximately 24 percent. This makes it clear that the overall
representational strength of the southern states will increase.
Union
Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Mr. Amit Shah also said that under the
leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet has decided to
conduct a caste census, and caste-related data will also be collected in the upcoming
census. He stated that the census is conducted in two phaes—first,
the enumeration of houses, and then of individuals, the first phase is currently
underway, in which houses are being counted, and since houses do not have a caste,
there is no option for caste in the form at this stage. The Home Minister added
that caste-related information will also be recorded while collecting data on individuals
during the population enumeration phase.
Mr.
Amit Shah said that we have not made any changes to the Delimitation Commission
Act; we have repeated the existing Act exactly, down to the full stops and commas.
He stated that if the Act had been used for any kind of manipulation in the past,
he cannot comment on that, but the present government has made no such attempt.
Union Home Minister clarified that the report of the Delimitation Commission will
come into effect only after it is approved by Parliament and receives the assent
of the President. Therefore, there is no question of this process being implemented
before 2029. Mr. Shah said that this Act will have no impact on the ongoing elections,
whether in Tamil Nadu or West Bengal; there is no question of it being implemented
before 2029. All elections to be held up to 2029 will be conducted on the existing
seats and under the present practice.
Union
Home Minister Amit Shah said that in a democracy, power is determined by the will
and thinking of the citizens, not merely by political parties or leaders. He stated
that no one can manipulate the mandate of 1.3 billion people; if that were possible,
there would not have been changes in government in the past. He also said that even
during the Emergency in India, public opinion could not be permanently influenced,
and the people delivered its verdict through democratic means. Mr. Amit Shah emphasized
that no one has the capacity to end democracy in the country, and history bears
witness that whenever such attempts have been made, the people have rejected them.
543 seats to 816 seats (50%
increase model)
|
Sl. No. |
State |
Total Seats 543 |
Present Status Percentage of 543 |
Increase of 50% (Appx.) |
Revised Status Percentage of 816 |
|
1. |
Karnataka |
28 |
5.15% |
42 |
5.14% |
|
2. |
Andhra Pradesh |
25 |
4.60% |
38 |
4.65% |
|
3. |
Telangana |
17 |
3.13% |
26 |
3.18% |
|
4. |
Tamil Nadu |
39 |
7.18% |
59 |
7.23% |
|
5. |
Keralam |
20 |
3.68% |
30 |
3.67% |
|
|
Total |
129 |
23.76 (Appx. 24%) |
195 |
23.87 (Appx. 24%) |