Revanth Reddy announced that he would soon pass a resolution in the Telangana State Assembly opposing the Centre's move to conduct delimitation based on population.
Published Mar 22, 2025 | 4:23 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 22, 2025 | 4:23 PM
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin (R) receiving his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy in Chennai on Saturday.
Synopsis: The Union government’s delimitation plan seems to be further widening the North-South divide. The plan, still unclear to most, has left the South Indian states worried.
The central government must immediately halt its population-based delimitation plan, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy demanded in Chennai on Saturday, 22 March.
Speaking at the Joint Action Committee’s conclave on Fair Delimitation hosted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Revanth Reddy said there was no need for such delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies now.
Revanth Reddy announced that he would soon pass a resolution in the Telangana State Assembly opposing the Centre’s move to conduct delimitation based on population.
“I request all my friends to do the same in their state assemblies. Let the whole of India hear the strong voice of South India and Punjab,” he said.
He also revealed plans to host the next meeting of southern states and Punjab in Hyderabad.
“Let us discuss how to take this fight forward. I will organise a public meeting. Please join us there to continue this struggle,” he added.
Revanth Reddy suggested that the Centre, after abandoning its population-based delimitation proposal, could instead focus on internal delimitation within states without increasing the total number of seats.
“In 1979, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi went for delimitation without increasing seats to avoid creating an imbalance of political power among states,” he recalled.
He also cited the example of the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which carried out delimitation in 1991 without increasing the number of seats.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi must follow the same approach. Do not increase the number of Lok Sabha seats for another 25 years,” he urged.
The chief minister stressed that even a pro-rata delimitation formula was unacceptable.
“The pro-rata formula harms us politically. It alters the power balance. The central government is often decided by a majority of just one seat. We have seen a government fall because of a single vote,” he said.
Revanth Reddy proposed that delimitation should be conducted by treating each state as a unit, based on the latest census data. He also advocated for an increase in reserved seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the implementation of a 33% quota for women.
He warned that if the BJP proceeded with population-based delimitation, South India would lose its political voice.
“The North will reduce us to secondary citizens. States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan will dominate the rest of the country. We cannot accept this at any cost,” he declared, calling for unity among the people, political parties, and leaders of South India to oppose the move.
The chief minister also demanded an end to discriminatory policies against South India and Punjab. “It is time for the Centre to repay and reward us for our significant role and contributions to nation-building over the last 50 years,” he said.
Revanth Reddy argued that South India deserved an exemption from the population-based delimitation formula, similar to Union Territories and small states in the Northeast, where the population-to-MP ratio differs from the national average.
He emphasised that ensuring a strong share of parliamentary seats for South India would serve as a reward for its good performance and incentivise other states to focus on economic growth and governance.
“If the BJP insists on delimitation, it must first increase South India’s share of Lok Sabha seats from 24% to 33%. Currently, the South holds 130 out of 543 Lok Sabha seats, representing 24% of the total. Anything less than 33% would reduce South India to a passive audience in India’s political theatre,” he asserted.
Describing population-based delimitation as a “demographic penalty,” Revanth Reddy pointed at the track record of South India since 1971, when family planning was adopted as a national priority.
“We became the Spectacular South, achieving rapid economic growth, higher GDP, greater per capita income, job creation, superior infrastructure development, better governance, and effective social welfare. Despite contributing more to the national exchequer, we receive fewer allocations,” he said.
He provided examples of the disparity in tax allocations: for every rupee paid by Tamil Nadu, it has been receiving only 26 paise; Karnataka 16 paise, Telangana 42 paise, and Kerala 49 paise.
In contrast, Bihar received ₹6.06, Uttar Pradesh ₹2.03, and Madhya Pradesh ₹1.73 for every rupee they contributed.
Revanth Reddy, who represents Malkajgiri, the world’s largest parliamentary constituency in Telangana, acknowledged the challenges of managing large constituencies.
“Malkajgiri has 32 lakh voters and a population of over 45 lakh. I understand the issues of large constituencies. However, Parliament is meant for policymaking, not solving local citizen problems. Most public issues are addressed at the state, assembly, and local body levels,” he said.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
