Rise up Decisively Condemning the Delimitation Bill!
United Opposition is Still Capable to Defeat it!
Modi government’s heinous move towards a Delimitation exercise for an inter-state redistribution and reallocation of Lok Sabha seats under the cover of ‘women’s empowerment’ is condemnable. After all, there is a broad consensus regarding reservation of one-third of the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies for women. However, clubbing it with the controversial Delimitation Bill and using women’s reservation as a cover for the Delimitation exercise and superimposition of a majoritarian unitary agenda is fascistic and malicious.
As such, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from the existing 543 members to 850 members will be taken up in the Special Session of the Parliament to be convened on April 16 and 17. Obviously, if the Bill becomes law, its immediate impact will be an abrupt increase in Lok Sabha seats in States like UP, Uttarakhand ,Bihar, MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi, and a sharp drop in share of seats among South Indian States like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, AP, Telangana, and Puducherry. In effect, those States, mainly southern, who pursued population control measures will have only reduced representation in Lok Sabha, while the number of MPs from Hindi heartland States where BJP has its double engine regimes, will disproportionately go up.
In fact, this hurried Delimitation move on the part of RSS-BJP is in violation of accepted procedures. According to Indian Constitution and norms followed, and without going in to details, the inter-state distribution of Lok Sabha seats which was pegged to 1971 Census, can be altered only based on the first Census (2031 Census)after the year 2026. But now the Modi government is planning to use the forthcoming 2026-27 Census as the base for its Delimitation exercise, instead of 2031 Census. In this context, the hasty move for the Delimitation Bill for raising the strength of Lok Sabha to 850 seats with drastic percentage reduction in seats for Southern states, by reconvening the already concluded Budget Session of parliament, that too when crucial elections to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are due, clearly lacks transparency.
Thus, the proposed Constitution Amendment Bill & Delimitation Bill, both clubbed together, that will shrink the share of Lok Sabha seats of Southern States, and increase that of Nother States where RSS-BJP has a dominant share of votes, if enacted, will lay down the solid foundation for a fascist, majoritarian Hindu Rashtra! Revealingly, the Modi government has resolutely denied the Oppostion request to postpone the move till the completion of the last phase of West Bengal Election. However, if the Opposition parties decide to forge a unity against this 131st Amendment Bill, it can be defeated in the floor of the House, since the BJP still lacks the required two-third majority needed for Constitutional amendments.
We appeal to all the working and oppressed people together with all progressive democratic forces to resolutely come forward opposing this majoritarian unitary move on the part of Modi regime towards the establishment of a fascist Hindu Rashtra.
P J James
General Secretary
CPI (ML) Red Star
New Delhi
15.04.2026
