HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Friday said that the Centre’s proposed constituency delimitation exercise would cause “serious damage” to southern states, alleging that the move is akin to “killing someone who is already wounded.”
During a chit chat with reporters in Delhi, he questioned whether southern states, which are already facing economic disadvantages, should now suffer political losses as well.
Calling delimitation a “regional issue rather than a party issue,” Revanth accused the Centre of attempting to gain power by increasing seats in larger northern states. He further alleged that leaders from southern states are already being pushed into “secondary roles” in national politics and higher offices.
On women’s reservation, Revanth reiterated that the Congress remains committed to its implementation. However, he argued that the real issue lies in the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats linked to delimitation. He described the idea of a 50% increase in seats as an “attractive cover” to mask deeper regional imbalances.
Revanth warns Centre of backlash over ‘flawed’ delimitation
The chief minister questioned the Centre’s intent, suggesting that if there was genuine commitment to women’s reservation, 181 out of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats could be allocated to women in the upcoming elections itself.
Revanth said he had raised concerns over the injustice likely to be faced by southern states during the delimitation process at the Congress Working Committee meeting earlier in the day.
He added that the party would also consult its allies in the INDIA bloc before deciding on a forward strategy.
Drawing parallels with past protests, he reminded the Centre of the backlash it faced over the now-repealed farm laws, cautioning against ignoring regional concerns. The chief minister remarked that if seat distribution increases significantly in larger states, leaders like G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay “may not even get attendant-level positions.”
He warned that if delimitation is carried out as per the Centre’s current approach, southern states could risk losing their political relevance. He also alleged that the BJP has historically been uncomfortable with the growth and progress of southern states.
He suggested that apart from population, economic contribution should also be considered as a basis for constituency delimitation and representation, especially in Cabinet formation and parliamentary strength.
The chief minister alleged that the BRS never accorded due respect to its seniors and cited instances of leaders like Ale Narendra, Etela Rajender, and Vijayashanti being sidelined or forced out of the party.
He further claimed that after leaders such as Jupally Krishna Rao and Thummala Nageswara Rao lost elections, the party quickly inducted the winning candidates instead of backing its own senior members. The chief minister alleged that senior leaders like Nageswara Rao and Krishna Rao were not even given the opportunity to influence the selection of candidates at the ward level, saying that this was “utter disregard” for experienced leaders.
Referring to comments made by KT Rama Rao about alleged disrespect to Jeevan Reddy, Revanth questioned the BRS leadership’s stance.
“If KTR speaks about the insult to one leader, what about the treatment meted out to Eatala Rajender, Ale Narendra, and Ponnala Lakshmaiah?” he asked.
He also raised questions over the party’s decision to sideline Krishna Rao while inducting leaders like Harshavardhan at the time, terming it inconsistent and unfair.