Leaders from the Congress, the Communist Party of India, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Republican Party of India were in attendance. Though invited, BRS and BJP leaders did not attend.
Published Mar 18, 2025 | 8:38 AM ⚊ Updated Mar 18, 2025 | 8:38 AM
Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka convened an all-party meeting to discuss the Centre’s proposed delimitation, emphasising the need for fair representation while ensuring southern states have a say in the Union government. Representatives from multiple parties attended, though the BRS and BJP leaders were absent, with discussions centring on the need for a scientifically sound and equitable approach to seat allocation.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday, 17 March, emphasised the need for constituency delimitation reforms to ensure fair representation in the Lok Sabha. However, he stressed that southern states must have a say in the formation of the Union government.
Speaking at an all-party meeting at the Assembly’s Committee Hall in Hyderabad on the Centre’s delimitation proposal, Vikramarka urged political parties in the state to engage in meaningful discussions to mitigate its possible negative impact on southern states.
Leaders from the Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], and the Republican Party of India were in attendance.
Although leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were invited, they did not attend, given the ongoing tensions between the Congress and the BRS.
Similarly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President G Kishan Reddy was absent, ostensibly due to prior parliamentary commitments.
The meeting was seen as a preparatory exercise ahead of the all-party conclave hosted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on 22 March. The conclave will focus on the Centre’s delimitation move and its potentially adverse impact on the interests of southern states.
The Deputy Chief Minister stated that the meeting was convened in line with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s commitment to upholding the dignity and influence of Telangana and other southern states within the Indian Union.
AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi proposed passing a unanimous resolution in the Assembly opposing population-based delimitation, which would then be forwarded to the central government.
Senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy warned that immediate changes could trigger unrest, while Government Advisor K Keshav Rao recommended delaying delimitation until a scientifically sound strategy is formulated.
CPI leader in the Assembly K Sambasiva Rao and CPI(M) State Secretary John Wesley stressed the need to proportionally increase constituencies in the south to match the growing numbers in northern states.
They called for a united southern front, backed by logical and scientific reasoning, to address the issue effectively and advocated for a well-defined, national-level policy on delimitation.
Republican Party of India State President Mahesh Goud supported increasing constituencies in the south in proportion to seat expansions in the north.
All participating leaders agreed that this meeting marked the beginning of a larger dialogue, with further deliberations and programmes planned in the coming days. They collectively pledged to support any decision by the all-party committee opposing unfair delimitation policies.
The Deputy Chief Minister, meanwhile, assured that a concrete action plan would be drawn up based on inputs from the meeting’s attendees.
Later in the day, BRS Working President KT Rama Rao asserted in a statement that his party was the first in the country to highlight the impact of delimitation on Telangana and other southern states.
“We have long been raising concerns about the adverse effects of delimitation on southern states, even before the DMK began voicing its opposition,” he stated.
Confirming the BRS’s participation in the 22 March meeting hosted by the DMK, he added, “On behalf of our party, I will attend the meeting and strongly present our stance.”
Furthermore, KTR argued that the delimitation policy in its current form would harm southern states, which have made significant contributions to the country’s progress.
“We will strongly convey to the central government the damage that delimitation would cause to southern states,” he affirmed, adding that BRS will continue to oppose the policy at the national level.
However, he pointed out that delimitation does not fall under the jurisdiction of the state government, and the current Telangana administration lacks clarity on the matter.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
