Will the new Parliament have 880 Lok Sabha Members in 2024. This question is puzzling every politician since the construction of the new parliament building has begun. Just think
about what will happen when Lok Sabha seats undergo delimitation and states get representation according to population. At that point, 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar may touch 70 and Madhya Pradesh’s 29 seats can cross the 50 mark. In the last such exercise, the allocation of seats was done under the principle of equal representation to all the states. But the increasing population has disturbed this balance, as the population of the northern and eastern states has grown more. This is why the total population of Tamil Nadu is less than 7 crores and there are 39 MPs, whereas the population of Madhya Pradesh is more than 7.5 crores and there are only 29 seats. For UP, there is one MP for every 30 lakh people, while Tamil Nadu has one Lok Sabha seat for a population of 16-17 lakh. By this reckoning, then UP alone will have 150 seats up from 80 seats. A state like Rajasthan would also have to be given at least 50 seats. One way around this can be division of states with more population, as the BJP is thinking in the context of UP. The new Parliament House, to be completed by October 2022, will have a total seating capacity of 880 LS members, which can be increased to 1224. In the present Parliament House, only 550 members can be seated. There is seating arrangement for 250 MPs in the current Rajya Sabha, while arrangements for 332 Rajya Sabha MPs will be made in the new building. Though there is a ban on increasing the number of seats in Parliament till 2026, the majority government can change the decision whenever it wants. Based on the population and the number of Lok Sabha seats, the Modi government can enact a new delimitation law. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 census has not begun, but the government can complete it even if it is delayed by a year. Then, the 2024 elections can be done on the basis of newly delimited seats. So, tighten your seat belts and be ready for the new face of Indian Parliament. Modi hai to mumkin hai! G
