Bengaluru (Karnataka)

As the Centre proposes a Constitution Amendment to increase Lok Sabha Seats to 850 and allow delimitation based on the pre-2026 Census, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said such legislation will systematically reduce the voice of the Southern states adding that his party and their allies won't allow these states to be "politically marginalised".

In a post on X, Shivakumar said the Centre is attempting a political re-engineering at the cost of Southern states.

"The proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 will systematically reduce the voice of the South, while rewarding unchecked population growth elsewhere. This is nothing but punishing progress and good governance," he wrote.

The Congress leader made it clear that his party is not against Women's Reservation in the legislature, but the Centre should not hide behind it and carry out their suspicious and "deeply unfair political agenda".

"Let's be absolutely clear: Congress fully supports Women's Reservation. In fact, it was Smt. Sonia Gandhi's vision and commitment that brought this dream to the national agenda. We demand that it be implemented without linking it to delimitation or seat expansion. I urge the Union Govt to not hide behind women's empowerment to push a deeply unfair political agenda. Rushing such a massive restructuring of India's democracy during elections, without transparency or consultation, is deeply suspicious and unacceptable. India's strength lies in balance not in domination. In fairness and not in manipulation," he added.

Shivakumar said the Southern states will stand united, "speak in one voice, and defend the true spirit of federalism".

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The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women's reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.