Southern States Rally Against Population-Based Delimitation

The Telangana Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution opposing population-based delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy warned it could reduce southern states' representation. Reddy called for unity among southern states and criticized the central government's approach, urging alternatives to support equitable representation.

The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution opposing the use of population as the sole criterion for delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy argued that this approach could reduce the representation of southern states by about six percent.

Reddy, without naming the BJP, accused the ruling party at the Centre of attempting to marginalize southern states in shaping the Central government by decreasing their Lok Sabha representation. He urged all political parties in Telangana to engage with the central government to protect the state's interests.

Moving forward, Reddy invited southern states' leaders to a meeting to chart a course of action. He emphasized that the Centre's claims of not addressing delimitation issues were partly untrue, highlighting disparities in treatment compared to other regions like Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim. The resolution also urged for constitutional amendments to increase State Assembly seats and provide equitable representation.

(With inputs from agencies.)