NEW DELHI, APRIL 16 — Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced Thursday that the number of Lok Sabha seats across all states is set to increase by 50 percent following a new delimitation exercise. Speaking as Parliament reconvened for a special three-day session, Meghwal stated that the total strength of the lower House would rise to 815 from the current 543 to facilitate the implementation of the 33 percent reservation for women.
Under the proposed plan, 272 seats in the expanded House would be reserved for women candidates. The legislative package, which includes the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026, intends to utilize 2011 census figures to finalize the new seat distribution. The government aims to have the quota operational in time for the 2029 general elections.
“Seats of all states will be increased by 50 percent. The total Lok Sabha seats would be 815, and 272 will be reserved for women,” Meghwal affirmed, describing the move as a balanced formula designed to ensure no state faces a reduction in representation.
The proposal has met with resistance from Opposition leaders, who expressed concerns regarding the data being used for the exercise. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi maintained that both delimitation and reservation should be conducted based on the ongoing census and include a caste enumeration. Opposition members further argued that using 2011 data could unfairly disadvantage southern states, though the government asserted that the seat increase will remain proportional across the country.
