The Congress Party has launched a stinging attack on the Modi government, alleging that a new Bill is being "bulldozed" through to increase the size of the Lok Sabha by 50 per cent. Under the claimed proposal, every state would see its seat allocation rise by half, a move the Opposition warns will systematically disadvantage smaller states in the South, West, and Northeast.
While the government has yet to offer an official response to these claims, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to social media to highlight what he described as a "deceptive" attempt at equity. He argued that while a blanket 50 per cent increase might appear fair on paper, the sheer numerical gap it creates would marginalise southern states. To illustrate his point, Ramesh noted that while Uttar Pradesh’s representation would "zoom" from 80 to 120 seats, a state like Tamil Nadu would only move from 39 to 59.
According to Congress’s calculations, the northern states stand to gain 200 seats under this plan, whereas the south would gain only 66. This disparity, Ramesh claims, is a unilateral attempt by the Prime Minister to alter the country's political map without proper consultation. The alarm has already been sounded by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and the Congress expects other regional leaders to follow suit as the details of the proposal become public.
This latest row comes just a week after the Congress accused the government of performing a "U-turn" regarding the women’s reservation law. The party alleges that the administration now intends to implement the quota without waiting for the 2027 Census or the subsequent delimitation exercise— a reversal of the position held when the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was passed in 2023.
Opposition leaders have dismissed the timing of these legislative moves as a "weapon of mass diversion," intended to distract the public from the ongoing LPG price hikes and energy crisis. While Home Minister Amit Shah is reported to have held preliminary discussions with some NDA allies and non-Congress opposition figures, the principal opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC, say they have been pointedly left out of the loop on a matter that could fundamentally reshape Indian democracy.
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