Amit Shah Targets Congress Over Delimitation Freeze, Blames Indira Gandhi-Era Decisions

Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp political attack on the Congress party, accusing it of historically denying the benefits of delimitation to the people of India. Shah stated that in 1972, under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the government introduced the Delimitation Bill, increasing the number of parliamentary seats from 525 to 545 before freezing the total. He further highlighted that during the Emergency period in 1976, the delimitation process was formally suspended through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, again under Indira Gandhi’s leadership. According to Shah, the Congress government at the time enacted laws to halt delimitation, effectively pausing the redistribution of parliamentary constituencies. The Home Minister alleged that the Congress party continues to oppose the resumption of delimitation even today while in opposition, maintaining that the party has consistently stood against granting people the benefits of fair political representation. The remarks come amid renewed political debate over delimitation, a process that redraws constituency boundaries based on population changes, which could significantly impact the political landscape ahead of future elections.