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New Delhi: The Union government on Thursday (April 16) said in the Lok Sabha that there will be a 50% increase for all states in the Lok Sabha and that there will be no change in the proportions of states through the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, even as the proposed legislation itself makes no mention of such a figure.

While introducing the bill, Union minister for law and justice (independent charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal said that seats for all states will increase by 50%. Later, in a brief intervention, Union home minister Amit Shah too said that all states will see an increase by 50% as the upper limit of the strength of the Lok Sabha is sought to be increased to 850.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, did not mention the 50% increase but instead gave his “guarantee” that there will be no injustice to any state, and no change in the proportions of states’ representation in the Lok Sabha.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the accompanying Delimitation Bill, 2026 and Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, do not mention this uniform 50% figure. Shah simply responded to opposition questions on where the 50% uniform increase is mentioned in the bills by saying that he as “home minister who piloted the bills” is saying so.

The three bills were brought to the House on Thursday as a three-day special session of parliament has been called to clear the 2023 Women’s Reservation Act that provided for 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state legislatures. The government has said that the bills are meant to “operationalise” women’s reservation, which in the 2023 Act was tied to delimitation and the next census.

The Wire has reported that the constitutional amendment bill along with its accompanying delimitation bill seek to bring in large-scale changes that will not just increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850........

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