Women’s Reservation, Lok Sabha Expansion Should Be Separate: Hemant Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has raised concerns over the central government’s reported consideration of expanding the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to around 850, linking it with discussions around the women’s reservation bill. Soren stated that the women’s reservation issue and the proposal to increase parliamentary seats are entirely different matters and should not be merged in the same legislative discussion. He questioned the rationale behind deciding a specific number like 850 seats, asking how such a figure was determined in advance. According to him, the number could just as easily be 840 or 860, and such a major constitutional change requires clearer justification and separate deliberation. “The women’s reservation bill and the issue of increasing Lok Sabha seats are two different subjects and should be presented separately,” Soren emphasized, urging the government to avoid conflating the two proposals. His remarks come amid ongoing national discussions on women’s political representation and potential delimitation reforms that could significantly reshape India’s parliamentary structure in the future.