Supriya Sule says NCP-SP open to support delimitation Bill with 50 per cent rise in Lok Sabha seats

MUMBAI: Amid speculation over an NCP merger and a possible political realignment, NCP-SP Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on Saturday said her party was, in principle, willing to support the BJP's proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats in every state by 50 per cent under the proposed delimitation exercise, along with the implementation of women's reservation.

Sule said the ruling BJP had invited Opposition leaders to a meeting to discuss the proposed delimitation Bill.

During the meeting, the BJP presented its proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats by a uniform 50 per cent across all states, irrespective of their respective populations.

According to Sule, the proposed increase would not be linked to the population of individual states but would provide an equal 50 per cent rise in Lok Sabha representation for every state.

"In principle, the ruling party's proposal was acceptable to us because it would not do injustice to any State. The number of Lok Sabha seats in every state was proposed to be increased by a flat 50 per cent. Therefore, as a representative of my party, I agreed to the proposal in principle. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant and a few other leaders who attended the meeting sought time to discuss it with their respective party leaderships," Sule said.

However, she clarified that the NCP-SP had not taken a formal decision to support the legislation as the party had not yet received an official copy of the proposed bill.

"We were comfortable with the proposal and also wanted to discuss it with our INDIA bloc partners to build a consensus. If everyone agrees, we are ready to support it. However, the NCP-SP, as an individual party, has not taken a final decision because we have not received the official bill or its copy," she said.

Sule said her party wanted both the delimitation and women's reservation Bills to be passed, adding that it was important to build a broader political consensus on the issue.

She also pointed out that delimitation was not being undertaken for the first time. Referring to the previous exercise under the Congress-led UPA government, she said the process had resulted in the reorganisation of Lok Sabha constituencies, with boundaries altered based on geographical and administrative considerations.

Defending the proposed 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats, Sule argued that smaller constituencies would make it easier for MPs to maintain contact with voters and ensure effective administration and development.

Citing her own Baramati constituency, Sule said the electorate had increased from around 10-12 lakh voters to nearly 20-22 lakh over the years, making it increasingly difficult for her to reach every village and address local development needs.

"It is practically impossible to visit every village and area of my constituency and ensure development with an MP fund of just Rs 5 crore. We are unable to do justice to every area. Therefore, constituencies need to be divided to ensure effective administration and development," she said.

Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader, speaking to reporters at a Diwali Milan programme, indicated that the party was close to securing the numbers required to pass the delimitation and women's reservation bills.

The leader suggested that once the required numbers were secured, the government could convene a special session of Parliament or advance the scheduled winter session to take up the proposed legislation.