The political landscape of South India is witnessing a significant shift as leaders from the region rally against the impending delimitation exercise. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has voiced his concerns, stating that the exercise, due before the 2029 general election, is a means to limit South India's importance.
Reddy's comments came in response to an invitation from Tamil Naduto participate in an all-party meeting on the matter on March 22. He pledged to thwart the alleged conspiracies of the BJP-led Central government against the southern states.
The Chief Ministers from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab have already been invited to join the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to deal with this matter.
Delimitation: A Threat to Southern Representation?
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has confirmed his participation in the all-party meet called by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister in Chennai on March 22. KTR criticized the Centre's approach to delimitation, which is set to be based on population figures from the latest census.
KTR argued that the Centre's move would disproportionately penalize states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, which have successfully adhered to the Union government's family planning initiatives over the decades.
KTR called the policy a gross injustice to south India and warned that determining parliamentary seats solely on population metrics would dilute the political voice of south Indian states in the Lok Sabha. He emphasized that this is not just a Telangana issue, but a south India issue. If the southern states do not stand united now, their representation and influence in national decision-making will be unjustly diminished.
The United Front Against Delimitation
The delimitation process, expected to take effect after 2026, will redraw parliamentary constituencies based on population. Tamil Nadu has been spearheading the opposition to delimitation. The southern states argue that the uncontrolled population of northern states would increase their seats in parliament, while the southern states' success with family planning would only penalize them with a reduced number.
The Chief Ministers from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, and Punjab have already been invited to join the Joint Action Committee (JAC) to deal with this matter. The meeting, to be chaired by DMK chief Stalin, will focus on the contentious issue of delimitation and its alleged potential to undermine the parliamentary representation of south Indian states.
The delimitation row has sparked a wave of political discourse and action, with leaders from various southern states rallying together to counter the perceived threat. The issue has also highlighted the ongoing tension between the central government and the southern states, with the latter accusing the former of attempting to marginalize them politically.
