NEW DELHI: As Tamil Nadu bats for the 1971 census as the base for any delimitation for the next 30 years, NDA government’s key ally, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh differs with the proposition, arguing that it will put the state at a disadvantage.
At an all party meeting on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin moved a resolution saying, in the event of an increase in the number of seats in Parliament, 1971 Census should be the basis for it and appropriate Constitutional amendment should be made.
Also, the 1971 Census should be the basis for delimitation of Lok Sabha seats for 30 years from 2026 and the Prime Minister should assure the Parliament on this. Stalin also proposed a joint action committee comprising representatives from all southern states to create awareness among people and prevent seat reductions.
Speaking to this newspaper, TDP MP and parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said the Andhra Pradesh will lose on many counts due to its bifurcation in 2014 into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. While the TDP leader is of the opinion that the current formula for delimitation should be reworked to address the concerns of southern states, it should be based on the latest population figures “The delimitation should be based on the new census. The reason being, all our welfare schemes are based on the old census and data that is not correlated,” he said.
Welcoming Home Minister Amit Shah’s assurance that southern states wouldn’t lose seats in delimitation, Devarayalu said some weightage should be given to population control so that states which have done well in that respect do not feel disincentivised.