Hyderabad: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy moved a resolution in the Telangana Legislative Assembly opposing the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies and the increase in their number.
Speaking on the occasion, he stated, “States that have controlled their population should not be penalized due to delimitation. The existing constituencies should be retained, while the number of assembly constituencies in the state should be increased to 153. SC and ST seats should be increased in proportion to the current population.”
He stated that southern states have adhered to central directives on population control, whereas northern states have not. Currently, delimitation is based on population, but it was halted for 25 years through a constitutional amendment in 1971. There is ongoing confusion regarding its implementation.
Revanth Reddy noted that Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin had recently convened a meeting on delimitation, where it was resolved that re-division of constituencies based on population would not be accepted. He recalled that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had also opposed population-based delimitation.
“Some claim that the central government has not yet made a decision on delimitation. Presently, the southern states hold 24 percent of the seats in the Lok Sabha, but if delimitation proceeds, this share will drop to 19 percent. All parties should unite against this move and support the resolution put forth by the government,” he urged.
Revanth Reddy also highlighted the issue of assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, stating that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act provides for an increase in their number. However, this has not been implemented due to political considerations, while states like Sikkim and Jammu and Kashmir have had their assembly seats increased based on the 2011 Census.
He further pointed out that southern states, despite contributing 36 percent of the nation’s taxes, currently hold only 24 percent representation in the Lok Sabha and receive minimal allocations from the central government. In contrast, states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh receive a higher share of central funds.
