Sat Mar 22 16:58:04 UTC 2025: ## South Indian Chief Ministers Oppose Proposed Parliamentary Delimitation
**Chennai, March 22, 2025** – Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy led a charge against the proposed parliamentary delimitation, arguing it would unfairly disadvantage southern states. Addressing the first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation in Chennai, Reddy urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to follow the precedent set by former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who did not increase the number of Lok Sabha seats during delimitation exercises.
Reddy accused the BJP of implementing a “demographic penalty,” asserting that while southern states have achieved significant economic growth and contributed substantially to the national exchequer, the proposed delimitation based on population would reduce their political representation. He specifically opposed any increase in Lok Sabha seats and advocated for delimitation within existing state boundaries, along with increased representation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and women.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann echoed these concerns, highlighting that while Punjab’s representation in Parliament would decrease even if the number of its seats increased, as a higher total number of seats would dilute its percentage representation. He suggested this was a deliberate tactic by the BJP.
Both chief ministers expressed strong opposition to a population-based delimitation, fearing it would grant disproportionate power to states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, ultimately silencing the political voice of the south. The proposed pro-rata formula was also criticized for its potential to significantly alter the balance of power in Parliament. The chief ministers vowed to prevent the implementation of what they termed an “unfair” delimitation process.
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