Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin brought the Lok Sabha delimitation issue to centre stage. He criticised the proposed delimitation, saying Tamil Nadu and other southern's representation in the Lower House will be reduced. The state may lose 8 seats as a result of the Lok Sabha delimitation, from 39 (present number) to 31 MPs. Stalin on Tuesday said Tamil Nadu was facing the "threat" of losing 8 seats as the state had successfully implemented the family planning programme that led to population control.
Stalin resorts to war mode against delimitation
While addressing reporters after chairing a Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, he said the state was "ready" for "another language war" and also announced convening an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the Lok Sabha delimitation issue.
About 40 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India have been invited for the all-party meeting, he said and appealed for unity, overcoming political differences. "Because, in the name of delimitation, a sword is hanging over southern states," he said.
The state was leading in all development indices, but now faced the "threat" of losing out on the Lok Sabha seats post delimitation as the process would be based on the state's population.
What is the Lok Sabha delimitation?
According to the Election Commission of India's website, delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body. "The job of delimitation is assigned to a high-power body. Such a body is known as the Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission. In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times – in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under the Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under the Delimitation Act, 2002. The next delimitation is due after 2026.
Why is a row over Lok Sabha delimitation?
The next delimitation commission is set to be established after 2026, as per the provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act, 2002. This commission will use the census data from 2026 to redraw the boundaries of Lok Sabha constituencies, ensuring that the population of all constituencies remains equal throughout the state or union territory. There is a fear among southern states that their numbers in the Lower House may reduced as they successfully implemented policies for population control, unlike northern states. The experts say since northern states's population is higher than that of southern, states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh may see a rise in the number of Lok Sabha MPs.
According to a report, published by an American think-tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 2019, the Lok Sabha’s strength would have to increase to 846 as per 2026 population projections.
Uttar Pradesh may have 143 seats – an increase of 63. Bihar's number of MPs may increase to 79 from the current 40 seats. Likewise, other Hindi belt states like - Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and others, would also see an increase as per proportion to their population by 2026.
On the other hand, southern states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka may be affected adversely.
(With PTI inputs)