New Delhi: The Union government is considering multiple formulations to increase the number of Lok Sabha constituencies by 50% in every state, according to officials cited in reports.
The issue gained attention after a recent special session of Parliament in which the Centre introduced three bills, including a constitutional amendment linked to implementing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies from 2029, and a proposal to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 seats.
Opposition parties such as the DMK and the Congress opposed the move, arguing it could reduce representation for southern states, and voted against the bills. As a result, the delimitation and women’s reservation bills did not pass.
Amid reports of shifting political support—including backing from some dissatisfied Trinamool Congress MPs and the defection of six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena—the Centre is said to be preparing to reintroduce the proposals.
Officials said the government is weighing options that would keep the inter-state proportionality based on the 1971 Census unchanged, while also considering delimitation using the 2011 Census since the ongoing population census has not been completed. A final decision has not yet been taken, and the government is expected to move the bill in Parliament only after securing adequate support.
