The Indian government has put forward a plan to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850. This adjustment is intended to facilitate the introduction of a delayed law reserving seats for women, combined with a new process to redefine electoral boundaries.
According to insiders, a preliminary version of the legislation has been distributed to parliamentarians. The administration intends to address essential changes to the constitution during a dedicated three-day parliamentary session.
This session is organized to revise rules related to allocating 33 percent of positions for women in the national legislature and state assemblies, and to adjust constituencies using data from the 2011 census. The seat expansion is designed to support the effective application of this reservation through boundary revisions.
The plan allocates 815 seats to various states and 35 to union territories, resulting in a total of 850. These modifications are projected to apply starting with the 2029 general elections.
Opposition parties are preparing to contest the government’s approach to boundary adjustments, especially the reliance on 2011 census information. Groups such as the Aam Aadmi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are likely to advocate for using the more recent 2021 census data instead.
Insiders indicate that multiple parties in the INDIA alliance might also request details on the ongoing call for sub-reservations for women from disadvantaged groups.
A planning session involving opposition figures and partners, including the Aam Aadmi Party, is set to occur at the home of the Congress leader in Delhi. Representatives from the Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which govern states facing upcoming elections like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, are anticipated to participate.
A Trinamool Congress parliamentarian raised concerns about the government’s motives, suggesting that the proposed changes emphasize boundary redrawing over advancing women’s representation.
He inquired about the availability of the bill’s text, noting that constitutional amendments are slated for discussion on April 16. He also highlighted the session’s scheduling just before state elections on April 23 and 29.
He pointed out that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would require backing from opposition members to approve these amendments, which need a two-thirds majority. The opposition coalition plans to use this leverage to advance their requests and obtain more information from the government.
