Telangana CM Revanth Reddy urges PM Modi to convene all party meet on delimitation issue

Revanth Reddy said that given the seriousness of the issue and its implications for the country's future, the matter must be addressed through broad-based consultations and consensus-building.

Hyderabad: Stating that pro rata and population basis model to increase Lok Sabha seats will not be acceptable to people and governments of southern India, Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that any attempt to proceed without addressing concerns of south Indian states will inevitably lead to widespread opposition and resistance, as it touches upon the fundamental principle of fair representation.

In a letter to Modi on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy, ahead of the special parliament session, said that given the seriousness of the issue and its implications for the country's future, the matter must be addressed through broad-based consultations and consensus-building. He requested Modi to convene an all-party meeting at the earliest, bringing together representatives from all states and political parties, to deliberate on this issue in a transparent and inclusive manner.

He said that the government can follow what the Supreme Court, in landmark cases on the issue of reservations versus merit, has said — split halfway, 50% quota and 50% merit. Reddy said the Hybrid Model also works similarly. “Since you are proposing to increase existing Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 seats, half of this can be done on pro rata basis. Remaining half must be done based on economic contribution (GSDP), and other performance criteria. A hybrid model would ensure no state is penalised for progress, while maintaining democratic principle of representation, and give all states and regions a fair voice in national governance,” he said in the letter.

Revanth Reddy also said that the proposal to increase in Lok Sabha seats on either population or pro rata model is not acceptable to many states, among them, southern states. “I wish to bring to your notice our serious concerns regarding the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats, which if done on a pro rata basis, is fraught with dangers for the country. An increase in seats based on pro rata, without considering economic contribution and socio and human developmental outcomes, will lead to a severe and irreversible distortion in the federal balance of our country. Fair regional representation and role in national matters is crucial to building a strong Viksit Bharat,” the Telangana chief minister said in the letter.

He observed that the Centre has not fully and carefully analysed or assessed the consequences of this proposal, especially on the southern states. The southern states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Kerala, over the past several decades, have consciously adopted policies aimed at population stabilisation, improved public health, and higher human development outcomes. These efforts were undertaken in alignment with national priorities and have contributed significantly to India’s overall progress. However, under the present proposal, these very states are being structurally disadvantaged and politically unempowered, he said.

“The consequence of a pro rata model is not merely a statistical adjustment; it will result in a systemic shift in political power. But with this change in Lok Sabha seats, we will be punished with political injustice over and above continued financial and policy discrimination. Southern states, despite their substantial contribution to the national economy, will witness a relative erosion of their voice in Parliament, while states with higher population growth in a northern-central belt, will gain disproportionately. This effectively translates into a scenario where progress is penalised and demographic expansion is rewarded,” Revanth Reddy added.

Regarding the Women’s Reservation Bill, he said that in unequivocal terms that the Indian National Congress fully supports the Women’s Reservation Bill. “Kindly immediately implement it for Lok Sabha, as is, with current 543 seats, and even for all State Assemblies. Political empowerment of women is not merely a legislative reform but a moral imperative of our polity,” he said.

Regarding the national delimitation, there have been delimitations before without changing the number of seats and only changed boundaries of constituencies within states. The country can undertake such an exercise. The real contentious issue is the proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850 seats and this to be done using a pro rata basis. I again emphasise that these three issues are distinctly separate and not connected. We totally support reservation of 33 per cent seats for women, and will also support delimitation without increasing the number of seats, he added.