KTR expresses concern over delimitation of constituencies on population basis, supports Stalin

Warns that Centre’s decision to redraw constituencies based on population would turn into a curse for Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala; wonders whether the Centre was planning to penalise Southern States for successfully implementing family planning for the nation’s welfare

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao raised serious concerns over the impending injustice to Southern States in the proposed delimitation of constituencies.

He warned that the Centre’s decision to redraw constituencies based on population would turn into a curse for Telangana and other Southern States such as Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. He extended support to the apprehensions raised by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on social media regarding this issue, for fair, transparent and equitable approach in the delimitation process.

Questioning the Modi government’s intentions, Rama Rao wondered whether the Centre was planning to penalise Southern States for successfully implementing family planning for the nation’s welfare. He strongly criticised the move, stating that executing delimitation solely based on population, without considering the efforts of the Southern States in population control, was against the spirit of democracy and federalism.

The BRS working president affirmed that the contributions of Southern States to nation-building could not be ignored. “In 1951, Southern States accounted for 26.2 per cent of India’s population, which has declined to 19.8 per cent by 2022. Meanwhile, the population share of Northern States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has risen from 39.1 per cent to 43.2 per cent. If Lok Sabha seats are allocated based on the latest census, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together will have 222 seats, while the five Southern States — Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala — will collectively get only 165 seats,” he explained.

Rama Rao said the Southern States had outperformed the Northern States in key sectors such as economic growth, human development indices and population control. “Penalising performing States and rewarding those who do not is not in the nation’s best interest,” he asserted.

Proposing an alternative, he suggested that constituency delimitation should be based on fiscal contribution to the nation rather than population. “With only 2.8 per cent to India’s population, Telangana contributes more than 5.2 per cent of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Similarly, other Southern States make immense contributions to the national economy. This factor must be considered in the delimitation process,” he demanded.