Key facts
- The Delimitation Bill will be reintroduced with a 50% proportional increase in seats across states.
- The bill aims to introduce women's reservation.
- The previous attempt to pass a similar bill failed.
- Concerns from southern states about being penalized by census-linked delimitation are expected to be addressed.
- Political circumstances are seen as more favorable for the bill's passage now.
The BJP-led NDA government plans to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill, which aims to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats and link delimitation to the 2011 Census. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu confirmed the bill will include a 50% proportional increase in seats across all states, a move intended to address concerns from southern states that they would be penalized for lower population growth due to family planning measures. Naidu stated that this inclusion, along with anticipated shifts in political support, will make it easier to pass the legislation. He drew parallels to a similar decision made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001, where seat numbers were frozen based on the 1971 Census to avoid penalizing southern states. The previous attempt to pass a similar bill in April failed due to the government not securing the required two-thirds majority.