Fri Mar 28 11:00:43 UTC 2025: ## Southern States Push for Delimitation Freeze, Sparking Political Debate

**Chennai, India** – A coalition of Chief Ministers from southern and other states are demanding a postponement of India’s next parliamentary and state assembly delimitation exercise, scheduled for 2026. The issue, which involves redistributing seats based on population, has been stalled for nearly 50 years, with previous extensions in 1975 and 2000. The current delay stems from the postponement of the 2020 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Ministers M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Revanth Reddy (Telangana), Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), and Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), along with Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and representatives from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), met in Chennai to strategize. The notable absence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who actively campaigned against delimitation in the past, fueled speculation.

The proposal to freeze delimitation, or at least reform the process, is not simply a North-South divide. States with successful family planning programs fear losing political representation if delimitation proceeds solely based on current population figures. The BJP has criticized the move as a political ploy to distract from governance issues, a claim dismissed by the participating Chief Ministers.

Several options are under consideration, including using the 2011 census data, delaying the exercise until a new census is conducted, or implementing a new formula that considers factors beyond population, such as fiscal contribution and development levels. The possibility of increasing the Rajya Sabha’s size to counter the Lok Sabha’s perceived Northern dominance was also discussed. A subsequent meeting is planned in Hyderabad.

The article concludes by emphasizing the need for a collaborative approach between the central government and states to find a solution that preserves India’s federal structure and avoids unilateral action that could damage mutual trust.

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