The government has attempted to convince the Opposition that the proposal to increase the Lok Sabha's strength and fast-track 33% reservation for women would involve a proportional 50% rise in each state's seats, thereby not hurting southern states apprehensive of an erosion in their relative standing in Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, and Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told the Opposition that the proportion of each state's seat-share will not be disturbed, Shah even read out a table to show that southern states will not be disadvantaged if the strength of the Lok Sabha is increased from 543 to 816.
However, the Opposition remained unconvinced, pointing out that the government's assurances were verbal and not mentioned in the text of the bills. They also raised questions about the Centre's intent on the caste census, the timing of the special sitting – in the middle of the election campaign in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal later this month – and asked why women's reservation couldn't be implemented with the current strength of the Lok Sabha.
Amit Shah read out numbers to make his case that no state will lose out on representation, saying that Karnataka will see its share in the Lok Sabha rise from 5.15% to 5.44%, Andhra Pradesh from 4.60% to 4.65%, Telangana from 3.13% to 3.18%, Tamil Nadu from 7.18% to 7.23%, and Kerala from 3.68% to 3.67%.
The Opposition, however, refused to take the government at its word, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying that the Prime Minister can't be trusted and that the government wants to move ahead with the 2011 census because it doesn't have an OBC population count.
The 131st Constitution Amendment Bill – which raises the ceiling of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850 and implements 33% reservation for women in time for the 2029 polls – requires a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting to pass in each House.
