Congress leader Karti Chidambaram on Friday criticised the Central government over the proposed Delimitation Bill, likening its presentation to a misleading “sales pitch” where assurances differ from the fine print.
“The delimitation ‘sales pitch’ by the government is like that of an insurance salesman, they say one thing & the fine print says something else,” Chidambaram wrote on X.
His remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the ongoing debate on the bill, rejecting concerns that the delimitation exercise would reduce the political representation of southern states in Parliament.
“The biggest narrative being created is that these three bills, the Constitution Amendment Bill, bill on delimitation, and changes to the constituency election law, will harm the power of the South,” Shah said.
He added that the current representation of southern states in the Lok Sabha stands at 129 members out of 543, or approximately 23.76 percent. Under the proposed expansion, he said, the number would rise to 195 members, increasing their share marginally to 23.97 percent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also sought to address opposition concerns around the delimitation process and the planned increase in Lok Sabha seats. The expansion is linked to the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, which proposes 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies from the 2029 elections.
The Lok Sabha is set to continue discussions and vote on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026. The bill seeks to provide reservation for women, along with the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which extends the provision to Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Delimitation Bill proposes a significant restructuring of parliamentary constituencies, increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats to 850.
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