Amit Shah Explains 850-Seat Lok Sabha Number After Opposition Criticism

Union home minister Amit Shah, speaking during the debate in parliament on the women's reservation bill, said the southern states are spinning a false narrative on delimitation and presented data, which, he said, proves that even the south will gain after delimitation. The Opposition is standing firmly against the Constitution amendment bills tabled today, clarifying that while they are not against reservation for women, the government's move to club delimitation with quota is an opportunistic plan to "gerrymander" Lok Sabha seats to its advantage for the 2029 elections. The Opposition's biggest grouse is that a population-based delimitation using the 2011 census data will push southern states to the fringes of parliament, leaving the Hindi heartland in the driver's seat.