DMK, TDP should uphold their legacy of ensuring fair delimitation, says Congress

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said the government, through bills that were defeated in the previous session, removed the constitutional protection for maintaining the state-wise share of Lok Sabha seats. File | Photo credit: ANI

Referring to the role played by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in previous rounds of delimitation, Congress General Secretary (Communication) Jairam Ramesh said that both parties should not throw away their heritage of ensuring fairness in the delimitation process.

Speaking to The Hindu before the monsoon session of Parliament, Mr. Ramesh said that the continuation of the 1971 census as the basis for the distribution of Lok Sabha seats was essential to maintain the federal balance. Congress, he said, supports extending the freeze for another 25 years, until 2051.

“DMK played a key role in the constitutional freeze in 1976. DMK and TDP played a key role in the constitutional freeze in 2001. Hopefully, both will now continue to play a key role in ensuring that there is no thaw,” he said.

On 17 April, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which sought to redistribute Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 census and speed up the implementation of women’s reservation, was defeated by a united opposition. In the House, with 528 members present and voting, 298 voted in favor of the bill, falling short of the required two-thirds majority.

There is speculation that the government may amend the legislative package comprising the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill to provide for a proportional 50% increase in each state’s strength in the Lok Sabha, in an attempt to address concerns raised by its allies. Speculations gained momentum after the government’s strength in the Lok Sabha increased following the Trinamool Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT) split.

Ever since the Congress decided to tie up with the TVK after the DMK-led alliance was defeated in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the DMK has maintained a distance from the Congress and it remains unclear how it would vote if the bill returns to Parliament. The TDP, a key ally of the BJP, has also argued for the preservation of the 1971 legacy in the legislation.

‘Optical illusion’

The Congress leader said the verbal assurance given by Home Minister Amit Shah in the last session regarding a proportional 50% increase in the representation of each state in the Lok Sabha was only an “optical illusion” created by the government. The assurance was not reflected in the bills that circulated during the last session. He argued that the problem could not be solved simply by adding a clause to that effect.

“The talk of a proportional 50% increase in each state’s strength in the LS is an optical illusion. It is meaningless in the light of Article 81(2)(a) of the Constitution,” Mr. Ramesh said, arguing that the government, through bills defeated in the last session, removed the constitutional protection to preserve the state’s share of seats in the Lokha.

The legislation sought to amend Article 81(1) to increase the membership of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 and Article 81(3) to lift the 1971 freeze, leaving Article 81(2)(a) intact. This provision asserts that the ratio between the state’s population and the number of seats in the Lok Sabha should be roughly equal across states. “The bills circulated by the government in the last session removed the constitutional freeze on the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha, meaning that it is now a constitutional imperative to redistribute seats in favor of more populous states,” Mr Ramesh said.

This, he said, leaves wide scope for the delimitation commission, which is appointed by the government and whose decisions are protected from judicial challenge under Article 329 of the Constitution.

“The Modi government may commit to a proportional 50% increase for all states in the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections. However, after the elections, the commission may very well change the state distribution of Lok Sabha seats and give preference to more populous states in allocating seats,” he said.

Published – 19 Jul 2026 20:26 IST