NDA, INDIA Working for Numbers over the Bill to Hike Lok Sabha Seats, Delimitation Excise
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 16: Both the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) are firming up strategies with regard to the revised Constitution 131 amendment bill proposing to raise the number of Lok Sabha seats to 850 and initiate the delimitation process which is expected to be taken up for discussion during the monsoon session of Parliament beginning on July 20.
The Congress Parliamentary Party which met in Delhi on Thursday under the chairmanship of Ms Sonia Gandhi, decided to oppose the bill and also to work to unite the opposition to oppose the move. Briefing media persons after the meeting, the Congress communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh said the government had failed to pass the delimitation Bill last time and that Parliament had a long discussion about it.
“Our stand is clear that we are going to oppose it…” the Congress MP said. “The Bill, which is reportedly going to be tabled by the government, we have no prior information about it. We are hoping that we will be informed about it in the all-party meeting. Although it is just a formality, because in this meeting 35-40 leaders speak, some ministers listen, but those two at the highest position do what they want to do.” The Congress, he said, would rather raise the Ram Temple donation theft, ethanol-blended fuels, and question paper leaks, among other issues, in Parliament during the monsoon session. However, Ramesh reiterated that the Congress favours the immediate implementation of the women’s reservation Bill.
The Congress’ top leadership is upset that the government is trying to secure a two-thirds majority through the “defection route.” “The Home Minister will not get the two-thirds majority he is desperate for in the Lok Sabha. After his humiliation on April 17, he will suffer a second defeat if he persists,” Mr Ramesh said.
Government sources, however, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah would press ahead with the Constitution amendment Bill during the Monsoon Session only if the required numbers were assured. While the NDA remains short of the two-thirds majority in both Houses, party leaders expressed confidence that continued outreach to regional parties could help bridge the gap before the legislation is taken up. But despite splits in the Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), the government is still short of the two-third majority mark in both the Houses so far.
The NDA government’s sustained effort to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha to pass the Constitution amendment Bill gained momentum after 20 Lok Sabha members of the Trinamool Congress and six MPs of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) aligned themselves with the BJP-led NDA. The NDA managers claim that the alliance’s strength in the Lok Sabha has risen from 298 in April to 329, though it remains short of the two-thirds majority mark of 362.
The BJP has stepped up its outreach to parties in the INDIA bloc in an effort to secure the numbers required to pass the Constitution amendment Bill, which also forms the basis for implementing women’s reservation from the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
According to BJP leaders and government sources, the political realignment following the recent Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu has opened fresh channels of communication with Opposition parties. Sources said the BJP has also reopened talks with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) after its break with the Congress, while assuring the party that its concerns over delimitation would be addressed.
The government is also hopeful that some Opposition parties may soften their stand if the proposed legislation provides for a uniform 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats across all States.
The issue acquired a sense of urgency on Wednesday as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, while leaders of both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai. Mr Shinde expressed confidence that the government had the numbers to amend the Constitution.
Amid speculation that NCP MPs of the Sharad Pawar faction may also switch sides, the party’s working president, Supriya Sule, clarified that her party had not taken any decision on supporting the delimitation Bill and media reports about her party’s stance were “inaccurate.” Earlier in the day, she was reported to have said that if the proposed delimitation Bill was based on a uniform 50% increase in seats across all States, “there would be little reason to oppose it.”
Ramesh also referred to the defection of MPs from the TMC and other Opposition parties. “It is a fact that some parties are now divided. But this is an insult to the Constitution. Still, the BJP won’t be able to touch the two-thirds majority. Our senior leadership—Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge—are continuously in touch with these leaders,” he said.
The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s proposals on delimitation. Mr Kharge, making his letter public, stated that he has been writing to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju to convene an all-party meeting on delimitation since March, but he added that, ”Unfortunately, these requests had not been accepted.”
In his letter to Mr Modi, he requested the Prime Minister to provide the Opposition the adequate time to study the revised proposals on delimitation before it is introduced in Parliament. The Congress chief’s letter comes days after it emerged that the government is learnt to be working on multiple formulations to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats for all states by 50% to assuage the concerns of southern States, as it seeks to operationalise a fresh draft of the Constitution amendment Bill on women’s quota law.
The draft is being readied keeping in mind the concerns of the southern States that a population-based delimitation exercise would shrink their political power in the Lok Sabha. Mr Kharge also mentioned that, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, involving delimitation, failed to secure the required 2/3rd majority in Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026.
“I have been reading in media reports that the Union Government now proposes to reintroduce a revised (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 during the forthcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. I would, once again, request you to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the government’s revised proposals on delimitation, etc., and give us adequate time to study them in detail before they are introduced in Parliament,” Kharge said in his letter.
Former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, in a post on X said the government was trying to woo both the DMK and the NCP(SP). “NCP(SP) and DMK have been clear-headed about the real purpose of the failed Bill and it is expected that they will stand firm in the future too. Any support to a new version of the failed Bill — whose real purpose is delimitation — will be a betrayal of their own conscience that guided them in April 2026,” Mr Chidambaram said.
Against this backdrop, Ms Sule’s comments that there would be “little reason to oppose” a proposal based on a uniform 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats across all States fuelled speculation that the NCP (SP) could support the Bill. Calling the controversy a “storm in a teacup”, she said the party would be in a position to take a view within 24 hours of the draft being made available.
Referring to an earlier meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, which was also attended by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, Ms Sule said the discussion had centred on a proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats in every State by 50%, irrespective of population.
“The formula for implementation should be given in writing. The southern States feel it is unfair if the number of seats is increased according to population. The Union Home Minister had said there would be a 50% increase in the seats in each State. But the Bill which was introduced in the House did not mention anything of it,” she said.
Ms Sule said if these conditions were fulfilled, there would be little reason to oppose the proposal, but maintained that any decision on supporting the Bill would be taken only after discussions with INDIA bloc partners. “We will consider supporting, provided the 50% cap is to be discussed. How the Bill is to be implemented is still not known,” she said.
Giving the example of Maharashtra, she said the State’s Lok Sabha strength would increase from 48 to 72 under the proposed formula. “Three seats will be earmarked for SC/ST reservation. Of the remaining 69 seats, some seats will be reserved for women. That will leave 48 seats in the open category. What formula will be used?” she asked.
Mr Sawant said although the assurance of a uniform 50% increase had figured in discussions with Mr Shah, “that was not what was presented in the House.” “They are hypocritical. They say one thing and do something else. Let them bring about the changes. We will then discuss it in the INDIA bloc. We will take a call thereafter,” he said.
Rejecting speculation that the NCP (SP) was considering joining the NDA, Ms Sule said all the party’s MPs and MLAs would remain together. “Since we do not budge due to the central agencies, we cannot be pressurised with anything. The BJP has been spreading rumours about us to try to demoralise our cadres,” she said.
In the Rajya Sabha too, the BJP’s numbers are set to improve after three Trinamool Congress members — Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy and Prakash Chik Baraik — resigned and joined the BJP. After July 24, the BJP’s strength in the Upper House is expected to rise to 117, its highest ever. With the support of seven nominated members, three Independents and NDA allies, the ruling alliance expects to reach 153 members, still 11 short of the two-thirds majority of 164 required to amend the Constitution.
