Congress MP warns 815-seat Lok Sabha would 'marginalise' southern states

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram has cautioned that the proposed expansion of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 815 seats would render the House “ineffective” and further diminish the political influence of southern states. Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, the MP from Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga constituency argued that a larger House would reduce opportunities for individual members to participate in debates or raise constituency-specific issues.

“With 543 members, we hardly get any time to speak. If you increase the strength of the House to 815, it will become an ineffective House, with no opportunity for any member to raise anything substantial,” he said.

Mr. Chidambaram also contended that the expansion would widen the representation gap between northern and southern states, making the South “less relevant in the electoral calculus” and further marginalising the region. “Any increase in seats will be disadvantageous to the southern states,” he added.

Instead of expanding the House, the Congress MP proposed that one-third of the existing 543 seats be reserved for women. He urged the Centre to consult all political parties before making any decision on the matter, alleging that the government might “hide behind technicalities and procedures” to avoid wider consultations.

The proposal to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength is part of ongoing discussions on parliamentary reform and delimitation. The current strength of 543 elected members, plus two nominated Anglo-Indian members (now abolished), has been in place since 1977. Any expansion would require a constitutional amendment and is expected to have significant implications for regional representation, especially in southern states where population growth has been slower compared to the north.