Amit Shah Advocates for Voter Rationalization and Women's Quota in Parliament

A Call for Change in Voter Representation

New Delhi: Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, has emphasized the need to rationalize the number of voters in each constituency, arguing that Members of Parliament (MPs) representing areas with large electorates struggle to meet the expectations of their constituents.

During a recent Lok Sabha session, Shah urged the Opposition to back a bill aimed at establishing a 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies by 2029. He highlighted that a delimitation process is crucial for adjusting the number of voters in each constituency, reinforcing the principle of 'one person, one vote.'

He pointed to Malkajgiri in Telangana, which boasts over 20 lakh voters, noting that MPs from such populous constituencies cannot adequately address the needs of such a vast electorate.

The Election Commission's data for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections reveals that five constituencies, including West Delhi, have more than 20 lakh voters each, with two of them exceeding 30 lakh.

An official mentioned that these figures might change following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.

Conversely, there are five Lok Sabha seats with voter counts ranging from 58,000 to 5.98 lakh.

Malkajgiri leads with over 37.80 lakh voters, followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh with nearly 29.48 lakh. Gautam Buddha Nagar in Uttar Pradesh has 26.81 lakh voters, while Bangalore North in Karnataka has 32.15 lakh, and West Delhi has 25.92 lakh.

In stark contrast, Lakshadweep has about 58,000 voters, Daman and Diu has 1.34 lakh, and Ladakh has nearly 1.90 lakh. Dadra and Nagar Haveli has around 2.83 lakh voters, and Andaman and Nicobar has 3.15 lakh.

Delimitation involves redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha constituencies, which also alters the shape and size of assembly segments. Each Lok Sabha seat encompasses at least five assembly constituencies.

The government has issued FAQs regarding the proposed women's quota law changes, which was recently rejected in the Lok Sabha, stating that delimitation is vital for implementing women's reservation.

The Lok Sabha seat limit was established at 550 in 1976, when India's population was 54 crore. Today, with a population of 140 crore, there is a pressing need to increase the number of seats to 850 to ensure fair representation in Parliament.