BRS decries LS delimitation on population basis

Press Trust of India

Hyderabad: Delimitation of Lok Sabha seats after 2026 will be a "gross injustice" to southern states if it is taken up on the basis of population, BRS leader and Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao said on Tuesday.

The minister's view comes amid reports that the BJP-led government at the Centre would take up the delimitation process of Parliamentary constituencies if the BJP retains power in 2024 general elections.

The Lok Sabha chamber in the new Parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, has thrice the number of seats with enough space for 888 members, and the new Rajya Sabha has the capacity to seat 384 members. This is in light of the fact that a delimitation exercise at some point in future would lead to a rise in the number of MPs in the country. According to the 84th Amendment of the Constitution, the constituency borders were frozen until the first census after 2026, or at least until after 2031.

The 1971 Census continues to serve as the foundation for the current Lok Sabha seat allocation. At present, the lower house of Parliament has 543 seats. Rama Rao, in a press release, said the southern states that adhered to the policies of the Centre and controlled the population with a progressive mindset are likely to suffer "severe injustice" with the population-based delimitation.

He expressed apprehension that it is unfair and painful that the southern states may get fewer Lok Sabha seats due to the delimitation and on the other hand, it is unfortunate that the states, especially the ones in the northern region, are benefiting from the increase in Lok Sabha seats. The BRS leader claimed the benefits would go to the northern states that "do not control" the population despite the central government's appeals.

"The states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, which controlled population, are being severely punished for their progressive policies today," he said. According to him, the southern states are at the forefront in not only population control but also all kinds of human development indicators.

Rama Rao claimed that the southern states with only 18 per cent population contribute to 35 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and are contributing so much to the national economic development and the country as a whole. He made an appeal to the leaders and people of the southern states to speak out against the "injustice" going beyond politics.