Is Revanth’s delimitation formula for fair South representation reasonable?

The issue of increasing the number of Parliament and Assembly seats through delimitation is turning into a major controversy.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently announced a 50 per cent slab policy for seat expansion, applying equally to northern and southern states. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has opposed this formula.

At the recent CWC meeting in Delhi, he criticized Shah’s proposal and later told the media that “seat expansion should reflect the contribution of southern states to India’s economic growth.” This has sparked a debate on whether Revanth’s formula is practical.

Experts sceptical

Former IAS officer EAS Sarma told The Federal Telangana that Revanth’s suggestion is not feasible.

Also read: Sonia Gandhi flags delimitation as ‘real threat’, terms it an ‘assault on Constitution’

“Economic factors cannot determine seat allocation in legislatures. Finance Commission and NITI Aayog handle economic issues. The difference in seat numbers between northern and southern states will always remain,” he said.

Sarma stressed that adjusting seats to balance North and South is impossible given the sheer number of northern states compared to the south.

‘Fight is inevitable’

Sarma warned that if delimitation is based on the 2011 Census, southern states will lose representation. He recalled writing letters to southern CMs long ago about this issue.

While Shah has spoken of a pro-rata 50 per cent increase in seats, Sarma doubts the Centre’s sincerity. He suggested that southern states must unite and launch a movement, as the Modi government has weakened federalism.

Also read: TN delimitation row: Stalin warns Modi against turning ‘calm South into storm'

He compared the situation to the past when non-Congress governments under NT Rama Rao united against the Centre.

Need to raise southern share

Retired professor and political analyst Kurapati Venkata Narayana noted that southern states currently hold only 19 per cent of Parliament seats, while their share in the Union Cabinet is just 8 per cent.

He argued that this imbalance explains why Modi ignores the South. He dismissed Revanth’s economic formula as lacking reasoning, but demanded that the Centre raise the southern share of MPs from 19 per cent to 25 per cent as an “incentive” for effective population control policies implemented in the South.

Support for Revanth

Prof. Dongajanaka Mohan Rao of Andhra University supported Revanth’s suggestion, saying it is reasonable to expand seats based on the South’s contribution to national economic growth rather than simply following northern population increases.

Also read: Centre’s push for women’s quota tied to delimitation puts Opposition in a bind

Special House sessions

The Centre has scheduled special Parliament sessions on April 16–18 to discuss women’s reservation and delimitation. The Congress, which backed the women’s bill, is demanding an all-party meeting on delimitation.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting with INDIA bloc and non-BJP parties on April 15. How many parties attend and what suggestions emerge will be crucial.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Telangana.)