Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has proposed a “hybrid model” for the upcoming delimitation of Lok Sabha seats instead of a strictly population-based approach, saying such an increase would widen regional disparities between northern and southern states. Addressing the media on Monday at the State Secretariat, Reddy criticised the Centre for “unnecessary haste” in convening special Parliament sessions on delimitation and the Women’s Reservation Bill.
He strongly objected to the BJP-led NDA government’s move to link delimitation with women’s reservation, saying the two were being deliberately tied together for political reasons. He said delimitation and women’s reservation are unrelated and should be discussed and implemented separately, with clear procedures.
He accused the Centre of creating a narrative that the opposition was not cooperating by combining the two issues. The Chief Minister reiterated that the Congress has consistently supported women’s empowerment, recalling that the party ensured voting rights and introduced reservations in local bodies.
The Congress leader also said 33 per cent reservation for women should be implemented immediately, without waiting for the Census and delimitation process after 2026.
The Chief Minister said the Centre was considering a 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats from the current 543 through the proposed amendment, adding around 272 new seats.
He cautioned that a purely pro-rata population approach would disadvantage southern states. He said southern states with 130 seats would rise to 195, while northern states with 411 seats would increase to 621, creating “an undue advantage of 280 seats”. Instead, he proposed that half of the additional seats be allocated on a population basis, while the remaining half be distributed by states’ economic contribution, measured through Gross State Domestic Product.
Drawing a parallel with reservation policy, he said, “When 50 per cent reservation is given on merit, why can’t it be replicated in increasing Lok Sabha seats to reward states based on their contribution to the nation’s economy?”
He added, “We are tired of paying taxes and then saying salaam in Delhi.”
Revanth Reddy said southern states that have implemented population control should not be penalised, adding that they could be given special consideration, similar to northeastern states and Union Territories, where seat allocation is not strictly population-based.
All-party meet, expert panel needed —
The Chief Minister also backed a separate quota for women from Backward Classes within the 33 per cent reservation. Revanth Reddy urged the Centre to convene an all-party meeting and set up an expert committee to examine options on delimitation and seat expansion. He said discussions should also be held in State Assemblies and with civil society before any draft law is brought to Parliament.
He noted the national Census is expected to be completed by 31 March 2027, and said delimitation discussions could take place during the Union Budget session that year, with the process completed in time for the 2029 general elections.
The Chief Minister also defended the Congress’s record on women’s empowerment and questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership.
“BJP was founded on April 6, 1980. Since then, the party has had 15 presidents. Was there even once that a woman was made the party president,” he asked.
He warned that leaders backing the current delimitation model risk losing political relevance if Telangana’s representation in Parliament declines.
“They may be thinking that they will do their best and leave the headache for future generations. But if the exercise is done now, they won’t be fit to even be servants of their bosses in Delhi,” he said.
Reddy said Chief Ministers from southern states and Punjab had written earlier to Narendra Modi after discussions in Chennai, and urged him to call an all-party meeting to build consensus.
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