Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday sought to allay concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise, asserting in the Lok Sabha that southern and smaller states would not lose representation under the Centre’s plan to implement women’s reservation early.
Participating in a debate on the rollout of the women’s quota, Shah pushed back against Opposition claims that the South’s share in Parliament would shrink after the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026. He said such apprehensions were based on a “misleading narrative” and backed his argument with state-wise projections.
Shah clarified that while the government would present its detailed response on Friday, he chose to intervene earlier to address confusion surrounding the three Bills under discussion. “I do not want anyone to spend the night with doubts,” he said in the Lok Sabha, before laying out comparative figures.
| State | Current seats | Current share | Seats after delimitation | Share after delimitation |
| Karnataka | 28 | 5.15% | 42 | 5.14% |
| Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 4.60% | 38 | 4.65% |
| Tamil Nadu | 39 | 7.18% | 59 | 7.23% |
| Kerala | 20 | 3.68% | 30 | 3.67% |
| Telangana | 17 | 3.13% | 26 | 3.18% |
“The South’s representation is not decreasing; it is increasing,” Shah asserted, framing the reform as both constitutionally mandated and equitable.