Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the need for a new parliament building was necessitated by several pressing factors, including the prospect of increasing the number of members of parliament (MPs) in the future.
“We will also have to see to that the number of seats will increase in the future. There will be an increase in the number of MPs. Where would they have sat (in the old parliament)?” Modi said in his address at the new parliament building, which he inaugurated on Sunday.
“Therefore, it was the need of the hour that the new Parliament building should be built,” the prime minister said.
He also said that it had become increasingly “difficult” to fulfil the work in the old Parliament building due to lack of technological facilities and “everyone is aware of it.”
“Therefore, for over two decades, discussions were going on about a new parliament building”, the prime minister said.
The current strength of the Lok Sabha (the lower chamber of the parliament) is 543, of which 530 are directly elected from states, with up to 20 members mandated to be elected from the union territories (UTs).
The seating capacity of the Lok Sabha in the new parliament building is 888, with the option of expanded seating to accommodate 1,272 members.
The remarks by the Indian leader come against the backdrop of speculation that Prime Minister Modi’s government wants to increase the number of MPs.
In 2021, former federal minister and senior Congress party MP Manish Tewari claimed that the government intended to increase the number of MPs. The government didn't confirm or deny the remarks by the opposition MP at the time.
The Indian Constitution allows for re-adjustment of the Lok Sabha seats after every census, a process which is called "de-limitation". However, the government put a 25-year-freeze on increasing the number of seats in 1976, further extending the freeze by another 25 years in 2001.