The failure of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha on Friday has triggered a fresh debate on the fate of the proposed increase in the number of Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, had provided for an increase in Assembly seats from 175 to 225 in Andhra Pradesh and from 119 to 153 in Telangana.
However, the provision was not implemented as it was linked to the next Census. Since the 2021 Census did not take place, both states went to the 2024 elections with the existing number of seats.
The matter later reached the Supreme Court, which observed that the Centre could consider increasing the number of Assembly seats in both states after the completion of the 2026 Census.
In the meantime, the NDA government proposed a nationwide delimitation exercise through the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.
“Had it been passed, both states would have automatically seen an increase in the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats as part of the larger exercise,” an analyst said.
However, with the failure of the Constitutional amendment bill in the Lok Sabha, the Centre also withdrew the supporting Delimitation Bill, 2026.
This has now raised questions about what will happen to the originally proposed increase in Assembly seats under the 2014 Act.
One section of experts believes the Centre may not proceed with increasing seats only in these two states until a comprehensive nationwide delimitation exercise is undertaken.
Another view is that the original proposal remains valid.
“If the Constitutional amendment had been passed, both MP and MLA seats would have increased. Now that the bill has failed, the original provision under the AP Reorganisation Act, along with the Supreme Court’s directions, will continue to hold,” a legal expert said.
According to analysts, there is a strong possibility that both states could go into the 2029 elections with an increased number of Assembly seats, provided the Census is completed by 2027.
However, any delay in the Census process could further postpone the implementation of this proposal.