‘Delimitation won’t reduce South’s share in Lok Sabha’: Amit Shah breaks down the numbers
Asked where the numbers he cited were mentioned in the Delimitation Bill, Union Home Minister says he will explain it all on Friday in “a language so simple that KG (kindergarten) students can understand”.
Shah presented the numbers each state will get in proportion, following the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026. (Sansad TV/Screengrab) Participating in the Lok Sabha debate on the early implementation of the women’s reservation law, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday addressed the concerns of the southern and smaller states and said the Opposition’s narrative that the South’s share in the Lok Sabha would go down was incorrect.
Shah presented the numbers each state will get in proportion, following the introduction of the Delimitation Bill, 2026.
Stating that while he would present the government’s response on Friday, Shah said he would like to speak and clarify certain points about the Bill, as he did not want anyone to spend the night with any confusion. Presenting the numbers, the Home Minister said:
- Karnataka has 28 seats in the Lok Sabha at present, representing 5.15% of the House. After delimitation, the number of seats will increase to 42, representing 5.14% of the expanded House.
- Andhra Pradesh has 25 seats representing 4.6% of the House and after delimitation, it will have 38 MPs representing 4.65% of the House.
- Tamil Nadu — Shah noted several MPs wearing black in protest — will see the number of MPs go up from 39 to 59, increasing its share in the House from 7.18% to 7.23%.
- Kerala, the Home Minister said, will see the number of Lok Sabha MPs go up from 20 to 30, with its share in the House changing from 3.68% to 3.67%.
- Telangana has 17 seats, or 3.13% of the Lok Sabha strength, at the moment. This will increase to 26 seats, representing 3.18% of the expanded House.
In total, Shah said, the southern states have 129 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha, representing 23.75% of total MPs. This will increase to 195 seats in the expanded Lok Sabha, increasing representation to 23.9%. The South’s representation, he said, was going up and not down.
Responding to Congress MP K C Venugopal, Shah said, “I, Amit Shah, the Home Minister, the minister who has piloted the Bill, am saying this.” Asked where the numbers on the southern states’ share were mentioned in the Delimitation Bill, Shah said he would explain it on Friday in “a language so simple that KG (kindergarten) students can understand”. He then took a dig at the Opposition, saying that when he responds, the rival parties should listen to him patiently and not walk out.
The Union Home Minister said the narrative that the government does not want to conduct a caste census was not true. He said people familiar with the process know that there are two parts to the Census: counting buildings and then people. He said that when the second part of the Census is conducted, the “caste census will happen”.
Shah said the Delimitation Commission Act had not been changed by the government and there was no way for it to “manipulate the process unless those in power then put in such provisions”. He said even if such provisions existed, the government would not manipulate. “There is no way to manipulate the mandate of 130 crore Indians. Those who tried during the Emergency were ended by the people, but democracy did not,” he said.
The Home Minister said even though the Bills were being brought in now in the middle of Assembly elections, they would not be implemented till Parliament approves them and the President signs them. “So Akhilesh Yadav should not worry,” Shah said, responding to the Samajwadi Party president’s remarks.
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