New Delhi, April 15 -- Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday alleged that the Centre lied about addressing the interests of southern states, as their representation may shrink in the Lok Sabha with the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, for the delimitation process.

According to sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to 850, with 815 seats proposed to the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.

The government is planning to de-link the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

In an X post, Jairam Ramesh claimed that the copy of the Bill circulated with the MPs contradicts the Centre's assurances for the southern sta...