Constitutional amendment bill tabled ahead of special session, opposition raises alarm over southern states’ diminishing share
In a move that could redraw India’s democratic map, the BJP-led central government has proposed expanding Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 , a near 57% surge with the explicit goal of implementing 33% women’s reservation by the 2029 general elections.
The proposed bill, which revises Article 81, allocates 815 seats to states and 35 to Union Territories. Seat distribution will be pegged to census data, with the government now proposing to use the 2011 census as the baseline sidestepping the long-pending fresh census to fast-track implementation.
A special Parliament session scheduled for April 16–18 will take up amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, originally passed with the condition that reservation would activate only after a fresh delimitation and census exercise.
Prime Minister Modi has appealed across party lines for unanimous support, calling it a historic moment for India’s women. However, opposition parties, led vocally by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, have pushed back sharply warning that delimitation tied to population figures will shrink southern states’ parliamentary influence disproportionately, threatening federal balance.
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