The Indian government claims that the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, introduced in 2026, aims to empower women. However, this bill is not about gender equality but rather about changing how political seats are allocated, which unfairly disadvantages states in Southern India.
The bill modifies several key articles of the Indian Constitution: Article 55, 81, 82, 170, 330, and 332. It increases the total number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850. Out of these, 815 seats will be allocated to states, while 35 will come from Union Territories. A significant change is that delimitation—the process of redrawing constituency boundaries—will no longer be tied to the results of future censuses.
The most concerning aspect of this bill is its lack of safeguards for Southern Indian states. Without these protections, these states risk losing their current representation in Parliament, despite potential population growth. This effectively reduces the voting power of millions of people in South India, diminishing their influence in national governance.