Amid fears that the delimitation exercise will reduce the number of seats of southern states in the Parliament, all parties from the South take a collective stand. How this move could alter politics in India after 2026?
Our Bureau
New Delhi/Chennai/Hyderabad
Home Minister Amit Shah assured southern states last week that they wouldn’t lose “even a single seat” after the fresh delimitation of constituencies. It was an attempt to address concerns, especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, about the potential loss of parliamentary representation if the exercise is based only on population data.
The 2021 Census, which was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to begin this year, and will be followed by the delimitation of constituencies. The Constitution (Eighty-Fourth Amendment) Act, 2002 froze existing constituency boundaries until “the first Census taken after the year 2026”.
The delimitation of constituencies represents the constitutional commitment to a fair and representative electoral framework and the equitable representation of citizens in elected bodies. The number of constituencies in Parliament and state Assemblies is adjusted according to the latest population figures to ensure that the number of Indians represented by an MP/ MLA remains roughly the same.
Article 82 (“Readjustment after each census”) says that “Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine”.
But Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin called for a united political front against the proposed delimitation exercise, urging various parties to join forces in opposing what he termed a “blatant assault on federalism.” On March 8, Chief Minister Stalin wrote to the Chief Ministers of seven states, both from National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ruling states and otherwise, to join him in the “fight against this unfair exercise.”
He has written to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi, and heads of all political parties in those respective states to join him. Congress has backed CM Stalin’s stance on delimitation. However, the party has not yet confirmed whether they will join the Joint Action Committee meeting on March 22.
In his letter to other CMs, Stalin pointed out that the previous delimitation exercises were conducted in 1952, 1963, and 1973, but they were frozen by the 42nd Amendment in 1976 until the first census after 2000.
The freeze was extended in 2002 until the census after 2026. However, with the 2021 Census delayed, the delimitation process might happen earlier than expected, potentially affecting states that have controlled their population and achieved better governance.
The Chief Minister stated that if the exercise is based on population after 2026, states with better population control would face a reduction in parliamentary representation, which he called unjust. He also stated that the Union Government has not clarified the matter, only offering vague assurances.
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Tiruchi Siva and other party MPs held a protest outside the Parliament on Monday over the delimitation issue.
“The delimitation exercise is due to be done in 2026. As per the constitution, it has to be done under the population. Earlier in the 42nd Amendment and the 84th Amendment, it was decided to have it after 25 years because the birth control progress has to be noted. If the delimitation exercise is done on that basis, all the Southern states will be at a disadvantage, including Tamil Nadu. We are insisting that the government should evolve a way that the Southern states will not be affected by way of this delimitation exercise, and they have to find an alternate way,” Tiruchi Siva said.
Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed his fear that if delimitation is conducted, Southern states will lose 26 seats in the Lok Sabha, and their voices will not be heard. “Delimitation is a serious issue. It was frozen in 1971. A census taken after 2026 will lead to delimitation, followed by re-determination of the seats. According to our calculation, if it is redistributed according to the current population of states, and the state’s numbers are changed, our southern states, which have 129 seats, will come down to 103. The five southern states will lose 26 seats, whereas the populous states where population is growing will gain seats, especially UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan,” Chidambaram said.
Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed his fear that if delimitation is conducted, Southern states will lose 26 seats in the Lok Sabha, and their voices will not be heard.
He further said that the Southern states have stabilized their population. “Northern states have not stabilized the population and it will take time to stabilise. With 129, our voices are not heard in Parliament. In 103 it will become worst. We are opposing delimitation and re-determination based on current population. Tamil Nadu will lose 8 seats if 543 constituencies are divided according to the current population,” he further said.
Also, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that an action plan is being prepared to thwart the Central Government’s “conspiracy” against the Southern States through the delimitation of Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.
The Chief Minister was speaking to the media after meeting a DMK delegation in Delhi to discuss joint action to ensure that the delimitation will not reduce the share of seats in the Parliament.
“This is not a delimitation of constituencies, but an attempt to reduce the importance of the southern states,” Reddy said.
The Chief Minister said that any attempt to reduce the political importance of the southern States will not be tolerated. “We (southern states) have served the country a lot. The BJP does not have much representation from the southern states. The BJP wants to take revenge on these states where they faced defeat,” Reddy said.
The CM appealed to everyone to work for the protection of the rights of the southern states, regardless of their political affiliations. He said that a plan of action will be formulated on the steps to be taken to overcome the losses associated with the delimitation of the constituencies in a meeting to be held in Chennai on March 22.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that he has received Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s letter regarding state autonomy and constituency delimitation. Taking to X, Siddaramaiah reiterated Karnataka’s commitment to protecting the federal structure and state rights.
Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao on Thursday criticized the BJP-led central government over the imposition of Hindi and delimitation, saying it was an injustice to South India. He urged all parties to unite against these issues and support the efforts of Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.
V Hanumantha Rao said, “He has been saying that the Hindi imposition and delimitation are just to serve North India and unfair to South India. All parties should unite against these matters. Delimitation will lessen our MP seats. This is the work of the saffron party. Everyone should support the good work that Stalin is doing on this issue.”
As the row over constituency delimitation intensified, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday questioned Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s call for a Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting on delimitation, alleging that Stalin’s opposition was an attempt to “cover up” his “corruption and failure.”
“This is his (MK Stalin’s) attempt to cover up his misdeeds, corruption, and failure,” Joshi told ANI.
He said there was no need for a committee since there was no delimitation commission. “What is the need of this committee when there’s no delimitation commission so far, no terms of references?” Joshi asked.
Accusing Stalin of “talking nonsense things,” he said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that the number of Parliamentary and Assembly seats would not be curtailed.
“The Home Minister himself has assured that there will be no reduction in the number of MP or MLA constituencies. Why talk nonsense things despite knowing that?” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, the Congress has backed CM Stalin’s stance on delimitation. However, the party has not yet confirmed whether they will join the JAC meeting on March 22.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh opposed any move to penalize states that have successfully implemented family planning measures in the context of delimitation and language policy and underscored the importance of linguistic diversity, saying that any form of ‘linguistic imperialism’ is unacceptable.
Ramesh emphasized that states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which pioneered population stabilization, should not be disadvantaged in terms of parliamentary seat allocation.
