Congress will meet to discuss the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and oppose the linked delimitation bill. Leaders allege the move will shrink southern states' representation in the Lok Sabha, with P Chidambaram calling it a 'diabolical move'.
Congress Strategy Meeting on Nari Shakti Adhiniyam
Congress will hold a parliamentary strategy group meeting on Wednesday at about 12:30 pm at party president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi, ahead of the special sitting of the Parliament to discuss proposed amendments to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023.
Opposition to Delimitation Bill
While supporting the 33 per cent reservation for women legislators in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures, Congress has opposed the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, to carry out the delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha.
As the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.
Opposition leaders have flagged that the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, does not increase the seats in the Lok Sabha on a pro-rata basis and will allegedly shrink the representation of southern states in the House.
Chidambaram Calls Move 'Mischievous and Diabolical'
Earlier today, Congress Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Wednesday called the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha a "mischievous and diabolical" move, alleging that the representation of the southern states in Parliament will shrink.
In an X post, P Chidambaram said that a 50 per cent increase in the number of seats will not be proportional to each state, as the delimitation exercise is based on population in a constituency. He claimed that the representation of southern states will shrink from 24.3 per cent to about 20.7 per cent in the Lok Sabha.
He wrote, "The apprehensions I had voiced in the last week have proved right. When the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased by 50 per cent from 543 to 815, the strength of TN will seemingly increase from 39 to 58. But this is an illusion. When delimitation takes place, it will reduce to 46. Uttar Pradesh's strength will first increase from 80 to 120 and, after delimitation, it will further increase to roughly 140."
"All the Southern States that have currently a representation of 24.3 per cent will find their representation reduced to 20.7 per cent. This is a mischievous, diabolical move to radically alter the federal balance. This must be OPPOSED," the Congress leader said.
DMK Calls Emergency Meeting
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also called an emergency meeting of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs today to discuss the impact of the delimitation exercise on the state.
The special sitting of Parliament will begin on Thursday, April 16. (ANI)
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