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Modi govt can’t do delimitation without negotiations. It’s high stakes for India’s democracy

You might think it obvious that larger states should get more seats under the principle of “one person, one vote” — but it risks sharpening federal fault-lines.

As Lok Sabha 2029 comes closer, it has become increasingly clear that the Modi government is trying every desperate survival tactic it can. Now, under the guise of implementing women’s reservations, it is attempting a wholesale restructuring of the democratic system in a way that permanently tilts toward the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Opposition, of course, supports women’s reservations, having previously piloted a similar bill in the Lok Sabha. But its concerns over the delimitation bill have sharpened over the lack of prior consultation, the discrepancy between the government’s assurances and the actual text of the bills, and the recent redrawing of constituency boundaries (delimitation) in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir for blatant partisan advantage.

With the Election Commission of India (ECI) under its thumb—cancelling voters by the million in state after state—the Opposition has no illusions about the Modi-Shah government’s commitment to democratic fair play.

The federal fault-line

Thankfully, these bills require two-thirds of members present and voting, and will not be easy to push through a united Opposition.

So why do it? Possibly because the government wants to manage the headlines and deflect from its foreign policy failures, or make a last-ditch bid for women’s votes in West Bengal and........

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