“Southern states get 66 seats (129 → 195) while northern states get 200 seats,” said Congress MP Manickam Tagore. File | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The Union government’s proposal to conduct a census-based delimitation exercise in 2011 to implement the Women’s Reservation Act for the 2029 parliamentary elections not only reversed its earlier stand but also prompted the Congress to change its stand.
Until recently, the government had maintained that the law could only be implemented after the delimitation exercise associated with the first census conducted after 2026 was completed.
The Congress, which had earlier pressed for the immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Act, is now demanding an all-party meeting to discuss the potential impact of such a move.
Party leaders argue that if the strength of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies is increased equally by about 50%, states with larger populations would automatically win more seats, widening the existing representation gap.
The issue was first flagged publicly by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who pointed out the implications of the population growth of the seats for the southern states.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, where the Telugu Desam Party, a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is in power, other southern states are ruled by non-NDA parties that could potentially take a common stand on the issue.
However, the Center has already rejected Congress’ demand for an all-party consultation.
“As pointed out by Telangana Chief Minister @revanth_anumula garu – Uttar Pradesh: 80 → 120 seats, Telangana: 17 → 26 seats. The gap widens from 63 to 94 seats. Now look at the bigger picture: Southern states won 66 seats (129 → 195) while Congress MP X won 20 seats in Manickore.
Although no official proposal has been made public, government sources are said to be exploring the possibility of increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to around 816 seats, with 33% reserved for women in accordance with the provisions of the Women’s Reservation Act.
Mr Tagore said that while a uniform 50% increase in seats might seem fair, the underlying population differences between regions would inevitably tilt parliamentary representation towards states with higher population growth in the Hindi belt.
“Southern states are in danger of being pushed to the political margins,” said a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu.
Apart from the emerging North-South debate, the Congress is also trying to clarify how the government proposes to address the demands for representation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) under women’s reservations.
Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi raised the issue during a debate in the Lok Sabha when the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was approved in September 2023.
“The Indian National Congress demands the immediate implementation of this Act. Along with it, a caste census should be conducted and reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC women,” Mrs Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha on September 20, 2023.
Party officials are now arguing that the timing of the delimitation exercise could also have implications for the wider debate on caste-based representation.
“The government wants to provide reservation based on the 2011 census as it does not include caste data. If women’s reservation is introduced after the caste census, there will inevitably be a demand for OBC quotas commensurate with their share in the population,” said a senior Congress official.
Published – 31 March 2026 21:27 IST
