NEW DELHI: The Centre is expected to begin the next census in 2025 and the delimitation process by 2027. However, its key ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said the delimitation policy should be reworked and the concerns of Andhra Pradesh should be taken into consideration. Several southern states have flagged their concerns that if 2026 delimitation was done based on population census, it would reduce the representation of southern states in Parliament.
Speaking to this newspaper, TDP MP and parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said the delimitation policy should be reworked and more consultations with stakeholders should tae place to address the state’s concerns. Andhra Pradesh shouldn’t be penalized for successfully managing its population, he said.
“Andhra Pradesh shouldn’t lose out on seats and political representation. We have done well in population policy and we shouldn’t be punished for that,” he said. The Constitution says that delimitation should be done based on the 1971 census, he added.
Government sources said following the decadal census, the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats will commence, and the exercise is likely to be completed by 2028. Sources say the thinking in the government is that the next Lok Sabha elections in 2029 can be carried out after delimitation and the women’s reservation Bill can also be implemented.
Recent remarks by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his counterpart in Tamil Nadu MK Stalin advising people to have more children has again put the spotlight on delimitation and its fallout on southern states with lower population indices. There is a fear among the southern states, which have successfully controlled the population growth, that a reconfiguration based on current census data could drastically cut their representation in Lok Sabha.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala taken together will lose 16 seats, if Lok Sabha seats are redistributed across states after the delimitation exercise scheduled to be conducted after 2026, according to a research paper for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, published ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The report said northern states may gain more than 32 seats while southern states may lose 24 seats.
