BHUBANESWAR: Expressing concern that Odisha might lose political representation in the proposed delimitation exercise, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Bhakta Charan Das on Wednesday said the party will approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) in this connection.
Das said Odisha’s proportional share in the Lok Sabha is likely to decrease from 3.9 per cent to 3.4 pc if the proposed (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026 is passed. “Odisha should not be deprived of its political representation,” Das said and demanded that the state government take up the issue strongly.
Describing the move as arbitrary, the OPCC president said the Congress will speak to all like-minded political parties in this regard. “Constitutional rights of the people of the state should not be taken away arbitrarily,” he said adding, the state unit of the Congress will strongly oppose this.
Das said if the Delimitation Bill proposed by the Centre is passed, Odisha will lose three LS seats proportionately. “This will be a major setback for the state,” he said adding, that the Odisha BJP should take up the issue with the Centre to ensure that the state gets justice.
He said the Congress will decide on other modes of protest after discussion within the party and like-minded political parties.