What are the arguments against electing more MPs?
MPs do not run the government and are not drain inspectors, points out election analyst Dorab Sopariwala. They are expected to legislate and oversee policies, expenditure and functioning of the Union government, not get roads repaired. It is, therefore, immaterial whether an MP represents 18 lakh voters or 12 lakh voters.
Moreover, the Parliament currently sits for less than two months in a year; and barely 16 per cent of Bills are sent to parliamentary committees for scrutiny. Indian MPs, therefore, are not overworked. In fact, too many Bills are being passed by the Lok Sabha far too quickly, in a matter of minutes. How will more MPs help?
As it is, most Lok Sabha MPs do not get time to speak, raise questions or grill the government. More MPs will help political parties and politicians but will add to the salary, pension, housing, transport and perks. The population of the US has gone up by three times since 1929 when the number of Representatives in the US Congress was frozen. India needs a better and more functional Parliament, not more MPs.
Why is the government reportedly planning to rush through another Delimitation Bill?
The BJP apparently wants to go into the 2029 Lok Sabha elections after delimitation because a higher number of seats in the populous Hindi heartland, where it remains a dominant political force, would give it an unassailable advantage over the Opposition, which is stronger in the southern states.
It also wants to take credit for finally implementing women’s reservation without sacrificing existing seats occupied by men. Some observers also believe that the BJP wants to avoid the consequences of the caste census by pushing through delimitation based on the 2011 Census without waiting for the 2027 Census to end.
What prevents the BJP from achieving the same results with the 2027 census?
The delimitation exercise is complex and time-taking. The exercise in Assam alone took six years from 2002-08. The more recent exercise in Jammu and Kashmir also lasted from 2020-22. A nationwide delimitation is expected to run into political opposition, ethnic tension and security concerns, and could take much longer. Assuming the 2027 Census reports are finalised by the middle of the year, the Delimitation Commission will have just one-and-a-half years to complete the exercise ahead of the 2029 general election.
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