Mumbai: NCP (SP) working president and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule on Saturday said her party was, in principle, agreeable to the BJP’s proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent in every state under the proposed delimitation exercise, alongside the implementation of women’s reservation. The proposal was discussed at a meeting convened by the BJP with Opposition leaders. However, Ms Sule clarified that the NCP (SP) had not taken a formal decision on supporting the legislation, as it was yet to receive an official copy of the proposed Bill.
Reacting to Ms Sule’s stand, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said she was free to support the proposal but should not invoke the Congress’s name. He also questioned the basis of her support, alleging that delimitation in Assam had involved redrawing constituencies by taking caste, religion and Opposition strongholds into consideration.
According to Ms Sule, the BJP had invited Opposition leaders to a meeting to discuss the proposed delimitation Bill, during which it suggested a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats across all states, irrespective of their population.
She clarified that the proposed increase would not be based on the population of individual states but would ensure an equal 50 per cent increase in parliamentary representation for every state.
Ms Sule said the government had made a proposal to the Opposition, under which seats would be increased uniformly from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
“Fifty per cent of Lok Sabha seats will be increased in each state of the country. Even Amit bhai (read Union Minister Amit Shah) had spoken about it on the floor of the House. The issue was also discussed with the constituents of the INDIA bloc. If 50 per cent of seats are increased in each state, we will consider it seriously. If everyone agrees on it, there is no point in opposing the Bill,” the NCP (SP) working president said.
Ms Sule, who has continuously represented the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency since 2009, said that, as an MP, she liked the government’s proposal.
“As an MP, I broadly like the proposal, as my constituency has a population of 25 lakh to 30 lakh. It is difficult for an MP to manage such a large constituency,” she said.
She added that there would be no problem with the proposed Bill if Lok Sabha seats were increased by a flat 50 per cent in every state. At the same time, she called for the implementation of the women’s reservation Bill.
She went on to say that the number of seats would not be increased in proportion to the population.
“There will be only one flat formula applicable from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Fifty per cent of seats will be increased,” Ms Sule said.
She also pointed out that delimitation was not a new exercise, citing the previous exercise undertaken under the Congress-led UPA government, which involved the reorganisation of Lok Sabha constituencies and changes in their boundaries based on geographical and administrative considerations.
Commenting on the NCP (SP) working president’s stand on the proposed delimitation exercise, Mr Wadettiwar said, “If Supriya Sule wants to support the delimitation Bill, she is free to do so. However, she should not invoke the Congress’s name. During delimitation under our regime, we only changed reserved constituencies; we neither increased the number of constituencies nor divided them to suit our convenience.”
He also said that the number of Lok Sabha seats should not be increased and that delimitation should be carried out within the existing number of seats.
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