"Increasing the number of legislators without reforming parliamentary procedure may weaken rather than strengthen representation." Critically examine this in the context of the proposed expansion of the Lok Sabha.

Representation works on two layers. The first is the citizen's access to an MP. The second is the MP's voice on the floor. The proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 would raise the Lok Sabha's cap to 850 [1]. More seats would improve the first layer. But if procedure stays the same, they would thin out the second.

How expansion strengthens representation

• Ends the 1971 freeze: the 42nd (1976) and 84th (2001) Amendments froze seat allocation. The Bill returns to roughly equal population per constituency [1], which revives "one person, one vote".
• Smaller constituencies: MPs can handle grievance redress, scheme monitoring and outreach more closely.
• Federal cushion: a bigger House lets fast-growing States gain seats without others losing seats in absolute terms.

How it may weaken representation without procedural reform

• Floor time is already scarce: the Lok Sabha worked only 52% of its scheduled time in the Winter Session 2024 [2]. In the Winter Session 2025, it used just 67% of Question Hour, and only ~23% of starred questions got oral answers [3]. About 300 more MPs sharing the same hour would cut each MP's chance to speak.
• Committees are bypassed: only 11 of 42 Bills in the 18th Lok Sabha went to committees, and only one went to a Standing Committee [3]. Committees are the forum best suited to absorb a larger House, yet they are underused.
• Backbencher tools are squeezed: in the Winter Session 2025, 137 Private Members' Bills were introduced. These were the first introductions since August 2024 [3].
• Thin presiding capacity: there has been no Deputy Speaker since June 2019 [3].
• Federal double squeeze: on 2011 Census figures, Kerala and Tamil Nadu lose seat share while UP, Bihar and Rajasthan gain. These shifts remain even if the House grows [1]. Southern States would get a smaller share of seats and less floor time per MP.
• Tenth Schedule: party whips limit MPs' independent voice whatever the size of the House.

Way forward

• Reform first: the Delimitation Bill, 2026 has become infructuous [4], and a delimitation based on Census 2027 is unlikely before 2029 [1]. That leaves time to amend the Rules of Procedure.
• Refer Bills to DRSCs by default, protect Question Hour, guarantee minimum sitting days, use the days set aside for Private Members' Business, and elect a Deputy Speaker.

The statement is therefore largely valid. Expansion fixes how far citizens are from their MP, but without procedural reform it can leave MPs "present but unheard". Pairing delimitation with reforms to committees and floor time would give real effect to the Constitution's promise of representative, deliberative democracy.