Parliament Schedule Likely On Lok Sabha Seats For Each State, Percentage Share May Remain Unchanged

The government is likely to bring a ‘schedule’ in Parliament specifying state-wise Lok Sabha seats, with sources indicating the percentage share is expected to remain unchanged.

A view of the Lok Sabha amid proceedings (PTI)

The government is likely to bring a ‘schedule’ in Parliament specifying the number of Lok Sabha seats for each state, with sources indicating that the percentage share of states in the total strength of the House is expected to remain unchanged despite the proposed increase in the overall number of seats.

Sources said there is a high possibility that the government may clarify the state-wise allocation of seats on the floor of the House, amid concerns raised by several states over the proposed delimitation exercise.

A ‘schedule’ is an additional section to legislation that provides detailed supporting information and clarifies provisions contained in the main text of the law.

The move is being contemplated following strong objections from southern states and states such as Odisha, which have expressed apprehension that the proposed delimitation could penalise them despite population control efforts.

THREE KEY BILLS TO BE TAKEN UP IN SPECIAL SITTING

Three key bills are slated to be introduced and taken up in the special sitting of the Budget session of Parliament.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, are scheduled to be introduced by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, while the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will be introduced by Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Law Minister is also expected to move a proposal in the Lok Sabha to suspend provisions of Rule 66 in order to enable the passage of the women’s reservation amendment bill, together with the Delimitation Bill.

The motion states that the House “do suspend the proviso to rule 66 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha in its application to the motions for taking into consideration and passing of the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 in as much as these are dependent upon the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026″.

The government has been seeking opposition support for the passage of the amendment bill to operationalise women’s reservation from the 2029 Lok Sabha elections on the basis of the 2011 Census.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged political parties to support the amendment, saying, “This is the wish of every sister and daughter of this country, and we must fulfil it with unanimity.”

PROPOSAL TO EXPAND LOK SABHA TO 850 SEATS

According to earlier ANI inputs citing sources, the government has proposed increasing the total strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 seats from the current 543 as part of efforts to implement 33 per cent reservation for women.

Of the proposed total, 815 seats are proposed for states and 35 for Union Territories.

The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to modify Article 81, stating that the Lok Sabha shall consist of not more than 815 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the states and not more than 35 members representing Union Territories.

The proposed legislation aims to operationalise one-third reservation for women, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies through a delimitation exercise based on the latest published census data, which currently is the 2011 Census.

The statement of objects and reasons of the draft Constitution amendment bill states that the next census and the consequential delimitation exercise thereafter would take considerable time and could delay the implementation of women’s reservation.

OPPOSITION BACKS WOMEN’S QUOTA, RAISES CONCERNS ON DELIMITATION

Opposition parties have expressed support for early implementation of women’s reservation, but have strongly opposed the Delimitation Bill and the manner in which the government proposes to link the two.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We are all in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill, but the way in which they (the government) have brought it, we have got reservations.”

“We all have decided that we will continue supporting women’s reservation as we did in 2010 and in 2023, as we unanimously accepted the constitutional amendment,” he added.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said there was a unanimous resolve among opposition parties to oppose the proposed delimitation, stating that the opposition wants women’s reservation to be implemented from the 2029 general elections on the basis of the current Lok Sabha strength of 543.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the proposed bills remove constitutional safeguards on delimitation and give full powers to a Delimitation Commission appointed by the government.

“Delimitation should be based on a transparent policy framework, developed after wide consultations with a consensus. Indians of all communities and States should feel confident that they will be represented and their voices will be heard,” he said.

KC Venugopal termed the delimitation proposal an “anti-national act” and said it could impact the representation of several states.

“We demand that the latest caste census be used for delimitation and that no state is disadvantaged by this process. We reject this Bill in its current form,” he said.

Leaders from several opposition parties, including DMK, TMC, National Conference, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, Left parties, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Nationalist Congress Party-SP and Shiv Sena-UBT attended the meeting chaired by Kharge to discuss their stance.

BJP SAYS NO STATE WILL LOSE REPRESENTATION

BJP leader Anurag Thakur accused the opposition of politicising the bills and said the government remains committed to women’s empowerment through the Nari Shakti Vandan Act.

“I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his commitment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, so that Indian women can have their rights,” he said.

“We want to say with great responsibility that no one’s rights, no one’s seats are being reduced, rather justice is being done to everyone,” he added.

With the government considering bringing a schedule detailing state-wise seat allocation while maintaining the existing percentage share, the proposed move is being seen as an attempt to address concerns raised by states over the potential impact of the delimitation exercise on their political representation.

Read More