Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has taken the lead in bringing together the non-NDA ruled southern states to fight against the Centre’s proposal to increase the Lok Sabha seats on pro rata basis, a move he described as ‘structurally damaging’ to the states that have responsibly managed population growth and driven economic progress.
As part of the initiative, the Chief Minister wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin, urging him to join a coordinated resistance among southern states against the Centre's unilateral move.
Acknowledging Stalin's efforts on the issue in the past, he noted that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had convened a Delimitation Conclave in Chennai as far back as March 22, 2025. "It is because of your initiative to organise the conclave and voice our collective opposition to the population model from Chennai unitedly that the Centre gave up on the population model based on the latest census," Reddy said in the letter.
However, he warned that the Centre is now pursuing the same objective through a different route- the pro rata method which he said is "equally bad" for southern states and must be resisted with the same unity.
“Given the magnitude of this issue, it is clear that a fragmented response will not suffice. There is a growing need for collective engagement among southern states, and indeed all like-minded states, to ensure that our concerns are articulated effectively at the national level. In this regard, let us all join to launch a coordinated effort with unity to address this issue. This would include engaging with other Chief Ministers of southern and similarly placed performing and smaller states and taking the fight to Parliament India’s strength lies in its diversity and the equitable representation of all its regions. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this balance is preserved,” Reddy said.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry together currently hold 40 Lok Sabha seats, against Uttar Pradesh's 80, a gap of 40 seats. Under the proposed pro rata model, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry may rise to approximately 60 seats, while Uttar Pradesh could jump to around 120. The political gap, currently 40 seats, would widen to 60 seats a structural deepening of the imbalance, not a correction of it, the Chief Minister said.
"The pro rata method effectively means that the voice and influence of Tamil Nadu in Parliament will diminish in relative terms, even as its contribution to the nation continues to grow," he wrote.
Also read: Stalin convenes urgent meet of DMK MPs over delimitation
Reddy also cited the gross disparity in fiscal devolution that Bihar receives Rs 6.69 for every rupee it contributes to central taxes, while Tamil Nadu receives a mere 26 paise for the same contribution. He argued that the proposed seat increase would compound this existing inequity by stripping southern states of their political leverage to challenge such discrimination at the national level. "With this change in Lok Sabha seats, we will be punished with political injustice over and above continued financial and policy discrimination," Reddy said.
As an alternative, he proposed a hybrid model for seat allocation, with 50 per cent of the new seats be distributed on a pro rata basis, while the remaining half be allocated based on economic contribution measured by Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and other performance criteria such as human development outcomes and fiscal discipline.
Meanwhile, Reddy wrote a separate letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to build a “national political consensus” on increasing seats in the Lok Sabha.
He argued that the southern states, “despite their substantial contribution to the national economy, would witness a relative erosion of their voice in Parliament, while states with higher population growth in a northern-central belt will gain disproportionately” if the policy is implemented in the current form.
“The proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats on either a 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,” the Chief Minister said.
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