New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Thursday that Lok Sabha seats of all states will be increased by 50 per cent as part of the exercise to implement the women’s quota and the related delimitation.
If the Bill passes, seats in Uttar Pradesh will go up to 120, Tamil Nadu to 59, Bengal to 63, Kerala to 30, Gujarat to 39.
Opening the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the set of Bills related to women’s reservation and delimitation, Meghwal said, “The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed in 2023, providing for the implementation of its provisions based on the census after 2026 and delimitation. There will be a 50 per cent increase in the strength of Lok Sabha members, translating to 815 seats, of which 272 will be reserved for women, which comes to one-third of the strength of the House. There will be no loss to male MPs or any state, and they will retain their strength.”
He presented the proposed Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and also tabled the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Women’s Reservation Bill proposes a cap of 815 on the number of members chosen by direct election from constituencies in the states. For UTs, the Bill says, “Not more than 35 members to represent the Union Territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide.”
At present, there are 530 Lok Sabha members from states and 20 from union Territories (UTs). However, a delimitation commission had set the number at 543.
Later, taking part in the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Women Reservation Bill will help change the “disha and dasha” (direction and condition) of the country’s politics by involving half of the population of the nation in decision making.
Calling for an apolitical and collective approach, PM Modi said he is willing to use the words “guarantee” and “promise” to assure MPs that the proposed delimitation linked to the implementation of the women quota will not discriminate against any state.
He said a vision of “nation-first” should supersede all considerations, and “I want to say that whether it is South or North, small or big state. The delimitation process will not do injustice to anyone. I can use the term ‘guarantee’ or ‘promise’ to assuage concerns of members,” he added.
–IANS
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