Modi govt moves to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has moved to bring a major change in the number of Lok Sabha seats. The government is set to introduce in Parliament the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, on Thursday (April 14).

The bill, to be taken up in the Special Parliament Session, seeks to "operationalise" 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by increasing the strength of the lower house to up to 850 from the present 543.

The government plans to bring a Constitution amendment bill, a bill on delimitation law and an enabling bill for Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry — three Union territories with legislature — on Thursday in Lok Sabha to fast-track implementation of the Women's Reservation Act of 2023.

How does the bill work?

The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, states that of the 850 Lok Sabha members, 815 members will represent states and 35 members will represent the Union territories.

“The House of the People [Lok Sabha] shall consist of not more than 815 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the states; and not more than 35 members to represent the Union territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide,” the bill says, as per PTI.

The bill seeks to amend Article 81 of the Constitution, which defines the composition of the Lok Sabha. The bill also seeks to amend Article 82 of the Constitution, which mandates that the next delimitation exercise shall be undertaken based on the first Census conducted after the year 2026.

How will 850 constituencies be drawn?

Earlier, it was decided that the constituencies would be drawn on the basis of delimitation. However, this provision has been changed in order to implement the Women's Reservation Billat the earliest.

The bill seeks to remove the link between the delimitation and the Census. If passed, the bill can expedite the implementation of the 1/3rd women's reservation in the next election.

The redrawing of constituencies will now be based on the 2011 census rather than the proposed 2027 census. To redraw constituencies, the bill seeks to take into account the 2011 Census data, PTI reported. As of now, figures from the 2011 Census are available.

The proposed amendment to Article 82 removes the constitutional requirement that delimitation must automatically follow the post-2026 Census. This would mean that the delimitation can be carried out based on the data before the 2026-27 Census.

The expression "population", according to the bill, means the population as ascertained at such a Census of which the relevant figures have been published.

“The next census and the consequential delimitation exercise thereafter will take considerable time and thus, delay the effective and dedicated participation of women in our democratic polity,” the bill states.

"Hence, the objective of the proposed bill is to operationalise one-third reservation for women, including women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, in the House of the People and the legislative assemblies of the states, the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union territories through delimitation exercise to be undertaken on the basis of the population figures of the latest published census," says the statement of objects and reasons of the draft Constitution amendment bill.

Parliament to reconvene on April 16

The Budget Session of Parliament was adjourned on April 2. The Parliament will, however, reconvene on April 16 after a brief recess to pass bills to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850, so that the women's reservation law can be implemented at the earliest.

(With inputs from PTI)