New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, while intervening in the discussion in the Lok Sabha on the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, said that a misconception is being spread that after these three bills, the representation of the southern states in the Lok Sabha will significantly reduce and they will suffer a major loss.
Union Home Minister said that the Delimitation Bill, 2026 will not harm the southern states but will, in fact, benefit them. He stated that under the 50% increase model, the current 543 seats in the Lok Sabha will rise to 816, leading to an increase in the number of seats for all southern states. Union Home Minister added that the existing 129 seats of the southern states in the Lok Sabha will increase to 195, and their share in the total seats of the House will remain almost the same at around 24 per cent.
Shri Amit Shah said that in the present House of 543 members, Karnataka currently has 28 members, which is about 5.15 per cent of the total. After the passage of the proposed bills and the constitutional amendment, the number of seats for Karnataka will increase from 28 to 42. In that case, in a Lok Sabha of 816 members, Karnataka’s representation will remain around 5.14 per cent, therefore, Karnataka will not suffer any loss.
Union Home Minister said that Andhra Pradesh currently has 25 seats, with a representation of about 4.60 per cent in the 543-member House. After the proposed changes, with an increase of around 50 percent, the number of seats will rise to 38, and Andhra Pradesh’s representation will increase to about 4.65 per cent. Similarly, Telangana currently has 17 seats, with a representation of about 3.13 percent in the existing Lok Sabha. After the proposed increase, the number of seats will go up to 26, and its representation will reach around 3.18 percent.
Shri Amit Shah said that he would like to assure the people of Tamil Nadu that their strength will not decrease but will, in fact, increase. The representation of Tamil Nadu will not decline; rather, it will grow. At present, 39 members are elected from Tamil Nadu, which is about 7.18 percent of the 543-member House. After the proposed 50 percent increase, the number of seats will rise to around 59, and in the new House of 816 members, its representation will be about 7.23 percent. Therefore, it is clear that there will be no reduction in the representation of these states; instead, there will be an increase.
Union Home Minister said that Keralam currently has 20 Lok Sabha MPs, representing about 3.68 percent of the 543-member House. After the proposed increase, this number will rise from 20 to 30, and the representation will remain around 3.67 percent.
Shri Amit Shah said that if the overall representation of southern India is considered, currently 129 MPs come from the southern states in the 543-member House, which is about 23.76 percent. After the proposed 50 percent increase, this number will rise from 129 to 195, and in the 816-member House, their representation will be around 23.87 percent, i.e., approximately 24 percent. This makes it clear that the overall representational strength of the southern states will increase.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah also said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet has decided to conduct a caste census, and caste-related data will also be collected in the upcoming census. He stated that the census is conducted in two phaes—first, the enumeration of houses, and then of individuals, the first phase is currently underway, in which houses are being counted, and since houses do not have a caste, there is no option for caste in the form at this stage. The Home Minister added that caste-related information will also be recorded while collecting data on individuals during the population enumeration phase.
Shri Amit Shah said that we have not made any changes to the Delimitation Commission Act; we have repeated the existing Act exactly, down to the full stops and commas. He stated that if the Act had been used for any kind of manipulation in the past, he cannot comment on that, but the present government has made no such attempt. Union Home Minister clarified that the report of the Delimitation Commission will come into effect only after it is approved by Parliament and receives the assent of the President. Therefore, there is no question of this process being implemented before 2029. Shri Shah said that this Act will have no impact on the ongoing elections, whether in Tamil Nadu or West Bengal; there is no question of it being implemented before 2029. All elections to be held up to 2029 will be conducted on the existing seats and under the present practice.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that in a democracy, power is determined by the will and thinking of the citizens, not merely by political parties or leaders. He stated that no one can manipulate the mandate of 1.3 billion people; if that were possible, there would not have been changes in government in the past. He also said that even during the Emergency in India, public opinion could not be permanently influenced, and the people delivered its verdict through democratic means. Shri Amit Shah emphasized that no one has the capacity to end democracy in the country, and history bears witness that whenever such attempts have been made, the people have rejected them.