Congress MP Manish Tewari emphasized that determining the number of parliamentary seats falls under the Delimitation Commission’s jurisdiction, not the government’s. This statement follows Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent comments addressing concerns about delimitation and its potential impact on southern states’ Lok Sabha representation. Shah clarified that the government’s role is to set upper and lower seat limits, not determine specific seat allocations.
Tewari highlighted that the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill sets the upper seat limit at 850, leaving the Delimitation Commission to decide seat distribution based on the 2011 census data. He criticized the government for alleged misinformation, stressing the importance of maintaining the democratic principle of ‘One Person, One Vote, One Value’ as outlined in Article 82 (1A) of the Constitution.
The MP raised concerns about the government’s handling of the delimitation process, accusing it of using the Women’s Reservation Bill as a guise to influence constituency adjustments. Tewari warned of potential repercussions, pointing out the sequence of passing the Women’s Reservation Bill and its delayed implementation in relation to delimitation, which has sparked opposition apprehensions.
