Published Jun 04, 2026 | 12:09 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 04, 2026 | 12:21 PM
![Amit Shah and Chandrababu Naidu. (X)]](https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media.thesouthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Amit-Shah-and-Chandrababu-Naidu.-X.jpeg "Amit Shah and Chandrababu Naidu. (X)]")
Amit Shah and Chandrababu Naidu. (X)]
Synopsis: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is pressing the Union government to proceed with the delimitation exercise in the residuary state. He has urged the Union home minister to implement the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, if the delimitation bill is not passed in the upcoming session of Parliament. According to those familiar with his thinking, Naidu believes that an increase in the number of Assembly seats could provide an electoral advantage to his party.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu is pressing the Union government hard to proceed with the delimitation exercise in the residuary state, irrespective of the fate of a similar exercise proposed for the entire country.
Naidu, according to informed sources, personally raised the issue with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on more than one occasion and is keen to ensure that delimitation happens in his state well before the next elections in 2029.
The Delimitation Bill, 2026 and its associated Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to secure the required two-thirds special majority in the Lok Sabha during the recently concluded budget session.
Also Read: Does India really need delimitation?
Several parties, particularly those from the South, argued that states that followed population control measures would lose substantially in terms of the number of Lok Sabha seats if the bill went through in the proposed format, as there would be a disproportionate increase in seats in northern/eastern states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar because of a larger population.
During the course of discussion in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah had proposed orally that the Union government would come up with a formula by which every state would get a 50 percent uniform raise in the number of seats, without specifying how this could be done if population remains the basis for determining the number of MPs representing each state.
Meanwhile, political circles are abuzz with speculation that the Union government plans to bring the ball back before the Parliament in the ensuing monsoon session by coming up with a formula that would satisfy even parties like the DMK in Tamil Nadu, which has significant representation in the Lok Sabha.
DMK was at the forefront of the opposition to the bill when it was defeated.
Leaders like Naidu had argued that the Opposition parties committed a blunder by opposing the bill, as a 50 percent increase more than offset the damage that would be caused if the delimitation were carried out according to the latest census. He had said that almost all southern states would lose much more, as there is even a risk that the number of seats would go down if population remains the criterion.
Naidu was so keen that he even planned a massive celebratory rally if the Delimitation Bill went through.
According to sources, Naidu has now urged the home minister to implement the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, if the delimitation bill fails to get passed even in the upcoming session.
According to Section 26 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, which facilitated the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into two states for the creation of Telangana, the Assembly seats in the residuary state have to be increased from the current 175 to 225. Likewise, the Act permitted an increase of Assembly seats in Telangana from the current 119 to 153.
However, there is a caveat. The proposed increase is subject to Article 170 (which deals with state assemblies and their strength) and the next census, which was to be conducted in 2021 but was rescheduled to 2026 due to the Covid crisis.
In other words, either the Article has to be amended, or it could happen only after the census process is completed.
Therefore, the increase did not occur, though it has been 12 years since the bifurcation in 2014, as no census has been conducted since then. In fact, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court questioning why a delimitation exercise was not taken up in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, along with Jammu & Kashmir.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the number of seats was increased from 83 to 90 by way of a special delimitation exercise.
The Supreme Court, however, held that the increase proposed in the Reorganisation Act was subject to Article 170 and the census and that the “qualifying phrase cannot be read as surplusage and must be given full effect.” In other words, any expectation arising from Section 26 cannot be viewed in isolation. More importantly, the Supreme Court held that it does not want to interfere in what is essentially an executive and legislative process. The implication being that Article 170 can be amended by the Centre if it chooses.
Currently, under Article 170, the number of seats in Assemblies has been frozen based on the earlier census and readjustment/increase cannot happen until the results of the 2026 census are published.
Also Read: Delimitation Trojan horse exposed
Naidu is reportedly asking the Union government to implement the provision in the Reorganisation Act, although it requires constitutional amendments to bypass or align with the overarching limits of Article 170. He expects this to pass muster as it essentially concerns only two states, and opposition from other parties, which are not affected, is unlikely.
If that is also not possible, Naidu wants the Union government to go ahead with delimitation at least for Andhra Pradesh once the census data is published by March next year.
Along with Lok Sabha seats, if the 50 percent uniform increase is applied to Assemblies as well, Andhra Pradesh will see its seats go up to around 260. Telangana, likewise, will have 180. If that does not become a reality, Naidu is prepared to settle for the number proposed in the Reorganisation Act.
For any party in power, a delimitation exercise gives the advantage of carving out seats in a way that suits their political requirements, though, on paper, it is an exercise that has to be done by the Election Commission in accordance with set norms.
Naidu, according to those privy to his thinking, seems to believe that an increase in seats will help beat anti-incumbency, weed out baggage, induct fresh faces and also get seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) the way he prefers, taking into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of rivals.
If the Union government accedes to Naidu’s request, such an exercise will automatically be undertaken even for Telangana, as Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will be more than happy to welcome it for precisely the same reasons that his Andhra counterpart is pushing the proposal.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
