Hyderabad: Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis e Ittehad Ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday, April 16, strongly opposed the introduction of the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, alleging that it undermines federalism and targets southern states through the proposed delimitation exercise.
Addressing the Lok Sabha, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief said that the Bill, introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, violates the basic structure of the Constitution and goes beyond the stated objective of women’s reservation.
“This is not about women’s reservation. The main goal is to rule the South and to completely erase the representation of OBCs from the legislature,” Owaisi said, opposing the introduction of the Bill.
Owaisi flags federalism concerns over delimitation
Owaisi stated that lifting the freeze on delimitation, which includes allocating seats according to population numbers, will benefit states with large populations more than others.
“Federalism is part of the basic structure of the Constitution. Removing the delimitation freeze gives more seats and power to larger population states while denying a fair voice to smaller ones,” he said.
The percentage of seats allocated to Hindi-speaking states might increase from 38.1 to 43.1 per cent, while the percentage allocated to southern states might fall from 24 to 20 per cent.
Procedural violations alleged
The AIMIM chief also alleged procedural lapses in the introduction of the Bill, claiming that mandatory notice requirements were not followed.
“The minister has to give a seven-day notice for introducing a Bill. Copies must be circulated to members at least two days prior. This is a clear violation,” he said, terming the move a “corrupt practice.”
Bills introduced amid opposition to delimitation
Despite opposition, the motion to introduce the Bill was passed with 251 members voting in favour and 185 against.
Following this, three key pieces of legislation were introduced in the House:
- The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026
- The Delimitation Bill, 2026
- The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
The proposed Constitutional Amendment is linked to a fresh delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census, which seeks to revise the size and composition of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
The Union government has proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 members through The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026, to be taken up during a special session of Parliament on April 16 and 17.
Delimitation is a politically sensitive topic, particularly for southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Telangana, where the population growth rate has been lower than that of several northern states.
Leaders in these regions fear that the process of population-based redistribution of seats might result in lesser representation of these states in Parliament. Southern states argue that they should not be penalised in the delimitation exercise for successfully implementing population control measures over the decades.
Opposition to the delimitation exercise has intensified in recent weeks. However, the Union government claims that it is mandatory to implement women’s reservation ahead of the 2029 general elections. This will be done by amending the 2023 law and delinking the delimitation process from the 2027 Census.
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