Editorial: Southern Discomfort

Political parties in the South must raise their voice against the present method of delimitation

The population-based delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, slated for 2026, is hanging like a Sword of Damocles over the heads of the southern States as they face the prospect of losing their strength in Parliament. The key question that needs to be asked is why the South should be penalised for controlling population growth and concentrating on development. The Centre must come up with a suitable mechanism to address their concerns and ensure regional balance in representation in Parliament. It is also time for all political parties in the South, cutting across party affiliations, to raise their voice against the injustice being done through the present method of delimitation which takes population into account while redrawing the borders of the constituencies. The irony is that the progressive policies of the southern States are harming them while those States that have been unable to control their population over decades stand to gain from the delimitation. Post-delimitation, the total seats in the South are projected to come down to 103 from the existing 129, a prospect that could trigger mass protests and severe public resentment. In contrast, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh together will have a total of 222 MPs. Another study had projected that four northern States —Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — would collectively gain 22 seats while four southern States of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu would lose 17 seats. The delimitation is back in focus now with the NDA government linking the implementation of the women’s reservation with it.

It must be pointed out that southern States account for just 18% of the country’s population but contribute 35% to the gross domestic product (GDP). It would be a travesty of justice if such progressive States were put at a disadvantage in the delimitation exercise. The northern States have consistently ignored the central government’s population control measures but now stand to benefit in terms of representation in Parliament. In the present circumstances, the delimitation, along with a smaller share of central funds to States on the basis of population, can be unfair to southern States where the economic situation has improved dramatically since the turn of the 21st century. It will also affect the division of seats reserved for SCs and STs in each State. With the total number of Lok Sabha seats frozen for almost 50 years, there are now wide discrepancies between States on the average number of electors represented by each MP. The delimitation exercise in 2026 would presumably seek to redraw the boundaries so that each parliamentary constituency has roughly the same population. This would mean an increase in seats in States with high populations. Given the political motives of the current dispensation at the Centre, there are genuine apprehensions that the delimitation could lead to unequal representation in Parliament.

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