Desk Correspondent , New Delhi - India’s proposed delimitation exercise will not reduce representation of southern states in the Lok Sabha, despite widespread political anxiety in the region, according to the central government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.  Under the plan, the lower House will expand from 543 to 816 seats, with delimitation based on the 2011 census and implementation only after the 2029 general elections.

The government argues that southern states will gain seats in absolute numbers without losing their share of the House.  They currently hold 129 of 543 Lok Sabha seats (about 23.76%), and under the new formula would have 195 out of 816 (roughly 23.87%), leaving the remaining 621 seats largely to northern and other states.  Shah has also tied the exercise to a 33% quota for women candidates, saying the combined changes will make Parliament more representative and proportionate.

However, opposition parties and several southern leaders remain sceptical, accusing the Centre of using delimitation and the women’s reservation bill together to redraw electoral boundaries to its advantage by 2029. They warn that population‑based reallocation could gradually dilute southern clout, even as the government insists the current electoral map will remain untouched in upcoming state and national polls.