
New Delhi:
The Women’s Reservation Bill, once implemented, will reshape India’s electoral map. The census and delimitation exercise, which will precede the implementation of reservation, is expected to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 753. The biggest jump is expected in Uttar Pradesh, which already sends the largest number. Members of Parliament. Southern states are likely to see modest increases, pushing them further back in terms of representation and electoral burden.
In 2026, India’s estimated population will be 1.42 billion and these figures will be important for delimitation, which redraws the boundaries of a constituency based on its population.
Based on these numbers, Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka are expected to increase from 28 to 36 in 2026 — an increase of just eight seats. The number of seats in Telangana will increase from 17 to 20, Andhra Pradesh will increase from 25 to 28 and Tamil Nadu will increase from 39 to 41.
The case of Kerala, which has managed population growth well, will be unique – its number of Lok Sabha seats will be reduced from 20 to 19.
In contrast, the number of seats in Uttar Pradesh will increase from 80 to 128. Other northern states will also see significantly higher representation.
Bihar – the second fastest growing state will have 70 seats instead of the current 40.
Madhya Pradesh currently has 29 Lok Sabha seats, which is expected to increase to 47 after delimitation. In Maharashtra, an increase of 20 seats is estimated after delimitation — from 48 to 68.
Rajasthan’s number will go up from the current 25 to 44.
The large numerical disparity between the northern and southern parts of the country is expected to be criticized by the opposition.
Yesterday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha that the census and delimitation will be held after next year’s general elections. Sources have said that the government will also resolve the North-South divide in terms of representation.
The number of Lok Sabha seats has not increased since 1977.
So far, the Delimitation Commission has been constituted four times — in 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002. The delimitation did not take place after the 1981 and 1991 censuses. Although this was done after the 2001 census, the number of seats was not increased.
Once the quota is implemented, the number of women members in the Lok Sabha will increase from the current 82 to 181. 33% seats will be reserved for women in the state assemblies as well.
The Delimitation Commission will be constituted by the President and will work in conjunction with the Election Commission. Retired judges of the Supreme Court will be members. The decision of the Commission cannot be challenged.