Shillong, Apr 17: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday voiced strong support for the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, emphasizing that delimitation is the “need of the hour” and must proceed hand-in-hand with women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures.

Addressing a press conference in Shillong, Sangma stated, “Delimitation is the need of the hour. It must be done. To implement the Women’s Reservation Bill when it is passed, we will be looking at the details of how it will be implemented. Both need to go hand in hand.”

Meghalaya, which currently holds two seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, stands to be impacted by the proposed changes.

The remarks follow intense Lok Sabha debates on the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. These bills aim to conduct delimitation based on the 2011 census and expand Lok Sabha seats to 850, prompting opposition concerns over reduced representation for southern states.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra demanded implementing women’s reservation on the existing 543 seats, while KC Venugopal accused the bills of “sabotaging democracy.”

Union Minister Amit Shah countered, assuring no loss for southern states. He cited projections: Southern states’ current 129 MPs (23.76% of 543) would rise to 195 (23.97% of the new house). Karnataka’s 28 seats (5.15%) would become 42 (5.44%); Andhra Pradesh’s 25 (4.60%) to 38 (4.65%); Tamil Nadu’s 49 (7.18%) to 59 (7.23%); and Kerala’s 20 (3.68%) to 30 (3.67%).