Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday, 9 August issued a sharp warning against the proposed delimitation exercise, arguing it would adversely affect states in North India, South India, and the Northeast — many of which share international borders — while disproportionately benefiting Central India. Tewari called for a serious review of the proposal before any legislative action is taken.

What Tewari Said

Speaking to reporters, Tewari said the concerns of border states in northern and northeastern India must be addressed before the delimitation process moves forward. He argued the exercise would tilt political representation in favour of the country's central regions at the expense of strategically sensitive frontier states.

'The basic thing is that when I had a debate in the Lok Sabha on the delimitation Bill in April, I had also said that this delimitation will cause harm to North India, South India and Northeast India. If anyone benefits from this delimitation, it will only benefit Central India,' Tewari said.

He added: 'For the states that are on the border, in North India or Northeast India, this is not in their interest, and that is why this point needs to be considered very seriously.'

The Legislative Background

The remarks come amid renewed political debate over the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and the Delimitation Bill, 2026. The proposed legislation seeks to amend provisions connected with the already-enacted Women's Reservation Act, 2023, and is aimed at expanding the strength of the Lok Sabha and revising seat allocation ahead of the 2029 general elections. Notably, the Bill failed to secure passage in the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session in April, prompting the Centre to seek fresh political consensus.

Congress Position on Women's Reservation

Tewari also took direct aim at the government's decision to link women's reservation to the delimitation process. He argued that the Women's Reservation Act, already passed by Parliament, should be implemented immediately using the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats rather than waiting for a fresh delimitation exercise to conclude.

'The government is talking about the women's reservation, then why not implement it in the current number of seats? Why not give one-third of the reservation to women from these 543 seats? It was the Congress party which brought in the women's reservation Bill, and if they truly want to implement it, then do it with these 543 seats,' he said.

Broader Concerns Over Federal Equity

The delimitation debate has exposed a deeper fault line in Indian federalism. Southern states and other regions that successfully implemented population-control measures over decades fear that a population-based seat redistribution would reward states with faster population growth — effectively penalising demographic responsibility. Critics argue this could see progressive states lose relative representation in Parliament even as their contribution to national economic output remains disproportionately high.

The Centre maintains that the delimitation exercise is intended to modernise democratic representation and align parliamentary constituencies with the country's current population distribution. With the 2029 general elections on the horizon, the political stakes of any seat reallocation are significant, and the search for consensus is expected to intensify in the months ahead.