New Delhi: Allaying fears on delimitation expressed by a number of political parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday assured Parliament that there will be no alteration in the proportions established by past governments during previous delimitation exercises. He also gave his “guarantee” that any future increase will also take place in accordance with those very proportions.
Addressing Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the PM said there would be no discrimination against any state and urged them not to give a political colour to the government’s Bills aimed at expediting the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies.
“Today, I wish to state before this House with a profound sense of responsibility that—be it the south, the north, the east, or the west; be it small states or large states—this decision-making process will not discriminate against or inflict any injustice upon anyone. There will be no alteration whatsoever in the proportions established by the governments of the past—specifically during whose tenure the previous delimitation exercises were conducted—and any future increase will also take place in strict accordance with those very proportions,” he said urging MPs to support the Bills.
“If a guarantee is required, I offer that guarantee; if a promise is sought, I give that promise, if there is a good word in Tamil, tell me, I will use it—because when one’s intentions are pure, there is no need to resort to wordplay,” the PM said while addressing the House.
The BJP government has been pushing for a smooth passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the Lok Sabha’s sanctioned strength from 550 to 850. However, a number of Opposition parties have cited the need to safeguard federal rights.
The PM was speaking on The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which also seeks to tweak the women’s reservation law which was introduced in the Lok Sabha Thursday after a division of votes. Two ordinary bills, the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, were also introduced as part of the three-day special sitting of Parliament.
The PM also offered to provide a “blank cheque to those wanting to take credit” for the move.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, the PM said ever since the discussion on women’s reservation took place in the country, and every time elections have come around thereafter, whoever opposed this right being granted to women, has not been forgiven by women.
“In the 2024 elections, this did not happen, and it did not happen because everyone passed it unanimously then, so the issue itself did not remain,” he said.
Several heads of state, especially from the southern states, have argued that their representation will come down, facilitating a situation wherein one or two large states can dictate policies due to their higher number of representatives in the Lok Sabha.
Soon after PM Modi’s speech, deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Nara Lokesh expressed his gratitude to the PM.
“Grateful for the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s assurance to the nation, on behalf of the NDA, that the proportion of seats of each state in Parliament would not be affected in the delimitation exercise. No injustice would be done to any state. This is NDA’s guarantee,” he posted on his social media handle X.
The Telugu Desam Party has assured its support to the Bills.
Grateful for the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s assurance to the nation, on behalf of the NDA, that the proportion of seats of each state in the parliament would not be affected in the delimitation exercise. No injustice would be done to any state.
This is NDA’s guarantee.… pic.twitter.com/LYwnAFkCLU
— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) April 16, 2026
Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief M. K. Stalin launched a state-wide black flag agitation Thursday against the proposed delimitation exercise and warned the Centre of consequences and a “heavy price” if it did not heed the state’s voice, upping the ante ahead of the state polls.
During his speech, the PM indirectly targeted the Opposition and said some people think he had a political self-interest in the exercise. “If they oppose it, it is natural that I will gain political benefit, but if they walk along, no one will gain any political advantage. We don’t want credit. As soon as this gets passed, I’m ready to run ads tomorrow thanking everyone, ready to get everyone’s photo printed. Take the credit… whichever photo you want printed, I’m ready to get it printed at government expense,” he added.
Appealing to MPs across party lines, the PM urged them not to weigh the exercise on the scales of politics but see it as a decision in the national interest.
“Do not weigh this from a political perspective; this is a decision in the national interest. Today, women across the country and the world will observe our decisions, but more than the decision itself, they will judge our intent. If there is any flaw in our intent, the women of this country will never forgive it,” he said.
The PM reiterated that the government’s intent is clear and that no one in the House should remain under the “illusion” that the government is “giving” something to the women of this country. “This is their right,” he said.
“Let us not remain in that ego that we are giving something to the country’s women power… No way! It is her right. We have been holding it back for several decades. Today is the opportunity to atone for that and redeem ourselves from that sin,” he said.
Modi said, when women’s reservation was being discussed in 2023 regarding, people were expressing the need to “hurry up”.
“It couldn’t happen in 2024 because it can’t be done in such a short time. Now in 2029, we have time; if we don’t do it even in 2029, we can imagine what the situation will be like. The demand of the time is that we should not delay any further now,” he said, pointing out that when the Lok Sabha unanimously passed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam in 2023, no political colour was attached to it and hence it did not become a political issue.
He urged the members to avoid giving it a political colour. “25-30 years ago, those who opposed women’s reservation didn’t let their opposition go below the political surface. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that today. In the last 25-30 years, among the sisters who have won at the grassroots level in panchayat election systems, there is a political consciousness. Earlier, they stayed quiet, understood but didn’t speak. Today, they are vocal,” he added.
The PM said those who want progress in political life will have to proceed with the understanding that in the last 25-30 years, women have become leaders at the grassroots level.
“They’re not just here; they’re there too, influencing your decisions. Those who oppose this today will have to pay the price for a long time. If we all come together, history bears witness, it won’t go in favour of any one person’s political side,” he said.
“It will go in favour of the country’s democracy, in favour of the country’s collective decision-making power, and we all will be deserving of that glory. Neither the Treasury Bench will be deserving of it, nor will Modi be deserving of it. Therefore, anyone who smells politics in this should take a look at their own outcomes from the past 30 years. Their benefit lies in this too. They will be saved from whatever damage is happening. Therefore, there is no need to give it a political colour,” he added.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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