Lokesh to Tharoor on delimitation: ‘Expanding Lok Sabha a democratic necessity’

Responding to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s comments on delimitation of constituencies, TDP national working president and IT Minister Nara Lokesh said in

He said that without any intervention, a new cutoff based on the 2026 Census would see many southern states face a huge reduction in their share and the Congress party is responsible for this due to its opposition to the Bill.

“The India of 2026 is not the India of 1971 as the population has increased from about 55 crore to about 146 crore,” he said. He said the Lok Sabha membership remained virtually unchanged and the average MP represented about 2.5 times more citizens than an MP represented during the freeze.

Mr. Lokesh said expanding the Assembly was not a political choice but a democratic necessity.

If the seats were increased to better reflect today’s population, he said, maintaining each State’s proportionate share would be a reasonable and balanced approach, as it protected States that achieved population stability while improving representation of all Indians.

Mr. Lokesh said it is useful to remember that no State has a constitutional right to have more representation per voter than another. The Constitution’s goal, he said, is exactly the opposite: Every citizen’s vote should be of as equal weight as possible.

“Continuation of the existing proportionate balance is not a constitutional right but a way of ensuring that the NDA is not disadvantaged by States acting responsibly. In your thought experience, the influence of parliament ultimately comes from votes on the Floor of the House. A proportional increase for all States, whether a simple or two-thirds majority is required, leaves these equations unchanged. If everyone gets the same proportional increase, no one gets an advantage over anyone else,” Lokesh added.