50% Increase in Seats for All States: Supriya Sule Offers Conditional Support for Delimitation Bill

The Union government has renewed its legislative push to pass the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule offered conditional support.

"The new delimitation bill has not yet been introduced. If it includes a provision ensuring a 50% increase in seats for all states, we will discuss it within the INDIA bloc. If it serves the interests of the people, we will consider supporting it," Sule said in Mumbai.

The constitution amendment bill previously failed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha, with the NCP (SP) voting against it at the time. The bill fell 298 to 230 during the previous session.

Political alliances are shifting. Speculation of political realignment grew after NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday night. Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare also attended this meeting, sparking rumours of further political moves.

Technical Details, Defeat

The bills seek to redraw boundaries based on the 2011 census to implement a 33% quota for women in legislatures. This legislative push involves raising the Lok Sabha seat cap from 550 to 850.

The Opposition previously voted against the legislation because the 50% uniform seat increase assurance was merely verbal and not written into the text of the bills. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had previously offered to bring an official amendment guaranteeing a 50% proportional increase in seats for all states in exchange for support. A TDP lawmaker said Shah promised the seat increase assurance would be included in the revised bill.

A government functionary recalled earlier assurances. "When the bill was earlier introduced we had assured all parties that all the states, including the southern ones, will benefit from the 50% increase in the seats," the functionary said.

Shifting Coalition Math

In the 540-member Lok Sabha, the National Democratic Alliance holds 293 members and needs 360 votes for passage if all members participate. In the 245-member Rajya Sabha, it has 149 members and requires 164. Support from parties like the Samajwadi Party, which has 37 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha MPs, and the DMK, with 22 Lok Sabha and eight Rajya Sabha MPs, remains crucial.

Recent political shifts have bolstered the ruling coalition. Twenty of 28 legislators from the Trinamool Congress defected to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, while six parliamentarians from the Shiv Sena (UBT) crossed over to the Shiv Sena. The DMK also had a fallout with the Congress and skipped INDIA bloc meetings. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed confidence that both bills will be passed during the upcoming monsoon session.

Opposition parties state they await formal communication. Congress Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh said that the government had not reached out to them, while Derek O'Brien of the TMC said there was no contact regarding the new bill according to the Hindustan Times.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Abbas Haider said, "We want the women's reservation law to be implemented before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. We will not allow the government to use delimitation as a tool to weaken the Opposition across the country. So far, we have not received any communication from the BJP or the government on this." A DMK lawmaker added the party would withhold comment until an all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday.

Sule Clarifies Position

Sule demanded strict safeguards, saying she had previously conveyed reservations to Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. "We unanimously supported the women’s reservation bill. As far as the delimitation bill is concerned, it must clearly state that the number of seats in all states will increase by 50% in equal proportion. There should also be a 50% cap so that no state faces injustice," Sule said.

Sule raised concerns about the redrawing formula, citing the redrawing of the Kaliabor electoral district in Assam, held by Congress politician Gaurav Gogoi, during previous boundary adjustments. She also rejected speculation about her party merging with the Congress or joining the NDA, saying they remain firmly part of the INDIA alliance.