BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday mounted a strong defence of the delimitation exercise in the Lok Sabha, arguing that southern states have no reason to fear a loss of representation and are in fact getting a fair deal under the proposed framework. “Delimitation is not a backdoor exercise. We are purely following what the Constitution mandates,” he said, responding to Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi.
Surya uses numbers to back the Bill
Surya made a data-driven case for the Bill. He said that if delimitation were carried out strictly on the basis of the 2011 Census, Tamil Nadu would not get 59 seats as proposed in the Bill, and Andhra Pradesh’s allocation would work out to around 27 seats.
He argued that even if alternative methods were used to calculate seat distribution, the outcome would be broadly similar. He pointed out that southern states currently hold about 23.7% of the total Lok Sabha seats and that this share is expected to remain unchanged. He also noted that the current Lok Sabha majority mark stands at 202 seats.
Surya explained that delimitation is a constitutional requirement under Articles 81 and 82, aimed at maintaining a proper balance between population and the number of Lok Sabha seats, and at redrawing constituency boundaries accordingly.
He pointed out that India’s population has grown significantly since 1971, the census on which current Lok Sabha seat allocation is still based. Because the number of seats has remained frozen for decades, many constituencies now have vastly unequal populations. He said the current freeze on delimitation, imposed by the 84th Amendment in 2001, expires in 2026, and the exercise must now reflect ground realities.
He also warned that freezing the total number of Lok Sabha seats while implementing women’s reservation would go against the basic principle of “one person, one vote, one value” under Article 81.
Surya calls South’s argument ‘mischievous’
Slamming the Opposition, he said, “On what basis do you want this delimitation exercise to be conducted? Will the rich have more votes and the poor have none?”
Surya insisted that southern states will not lose seats because of delimitation, and accused the Opposition of spreading misinformation and stoking fear in the region.
“The whole argument that the southern states are going to lose because of delimitation is a mischievous argument aimed at misleading people,” Surya said.
‘Argument against 850-seat House invalid’
Surya also addressed concerns about expanding the Lok Sabha’s strength to 850 seats — of which 815 would be filled from states and 35 from Union Territories — saying fears that the House would become too large for meaningful debate were misplaced. According to him, the drop in Lok Sabha productivity in recent years has been due to repeated disruptions by the Opposition. He added that if the number of members increases, the House can simply hold additional sittings to ensure adequate discussion.
‘Will the rich get more votes?’ — Surya’s dig at Tharoor
Surya said the idea of degressive proportionality — floated earlier this week by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor — goes against the spirit of the Constitution, and urged the Opposition to take a more responsible stand. He said such a line of reasoning could result in a situation where the wealthy command more voting power than the poor, adding that Mukesh Ambani would then have one lakh votes while others had just one. He described the argument as illogical.
‘Crocodile tears’: Surya targets DMK
Surya reserved his sharpest attack for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), saying concerns over the Bill were politically motivated and amounted to “propaganda.”
“Why are Opposition parties and some regional parties of the South, led by the DMK, making so much noise? The tears they are shedding are crocodile tears,” he said. “I thank heaven that in 2026, when the country undertakes delimitation, the BJP-led Centre will carry it out.”
He also attacked the Congress over the 2014 bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, saying the party “did worse than the British in partitioning the country.”
Referring to his own background, Surya said, “I come from the south, from Karnataka,” and alleged that the Opposition had carried out a systematic campaign of misinformation “in the most anarchic fashion” in southern India over the past three days.
Framing the day as historic, Surya added that Indian women had waited almost 40 years for their due share in national policy-making, and accused the Opposition of using opposition to delimitation as a “new pretext” to stall the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday after a division in which 207 MPs voted in favour and 126 against. Voting on the three Bills is scheduled for 4 pm on Friday.