Government Must Reveal Its Delimitation Plan: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting on the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies and share the government's plan with all political parties. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Kharge suggested that the total number of Lok Sabha seats should remain at the current 543 for another 25 years and that the number of seats allocated to individual states should not be altered during this period. He also called for steps to implement 33 per cent women's reservation from the 2029 general elections.

Referring to remarks by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju about the possibility of a special Parliament session for a Delimitation Bill, Kharge said the government should place its proposals before all stakeholders in advance. He urged the Centre to give political parties and states adequate time to study and respond to the proposals. Describing the expansion and redrawing of constituencies as an issue of major national importance, Kharge appealed to the government not to take unilateral or rushed decisions on the matter.