HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday proposed a hybrid model for increasing Lok Sabha seats, while calling for wider consultations with civil society and stakeholders on delimitation and seat expansion.
He said, “We want to propose a hybrid model. The Union government plans to increase Lok Sabha seats by 50%. That means 272 seats will be added. Under the hybrid model, we propose that 136 seats be increased on a pro-rata basis and another 136 based on the GSDP of all states.” He also demanded that the Centre convene an all-party meeting.
Revanth said he would write to his counterparts in southern and smaller states that may be adversely affected by delimitation.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Revanth said the Centre should build consensus. “It should take suggestions from civil society and other stakeholders through wider consultations,” he said.
How did Centre decide on 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats, asks CM
Revanth continued: “An expert committee should be appointed. After it submits its report, it should be placed in Parliament for discussion. Suggestions from all Legislative Assemblies should be taken. Only after finalising the guidelines and terms of reference should delimitation be carried out.”
He said the Union government had set March 31, 2027 as the deadline for completing the Census. “The Census should be completed by then, and stakeholder consultations on delimitation should be held simultaneously. The entire delimitation process can be completed by March 2028.”
The chief minister pointed out that southern states contribute more to the country’s GDP but face political disadvantage. “Northern states are political capitals, and southern states are financial capitals. Political capitals tend to treat financial capitals as subservient. We pay taxes and go to Delhi and salute them. This is a conspiracy hatched to make southern states powerless.”
Revanth said that delimitation based purely on population would disadvantage southern states that implemented family planning effectively. He added that the Centre introduced the pro-rata concept after opposition from southern chief ministers. “How did the Union government arrive at a 50% increase? Did God tell Narendra Modi in the middle of the night?”
Explaining the impact, he said that under a 50% increase, the current 543 Lok Sabha seats would rise by 272.
“Kerala’s 20 seats would become 30, while Uttar Pradesh’s 80 would become 120. The gap between the two would widen from 60 to 90 seats. Telangana’s 17 seats compared to Uttar Pradesh’s 80 would see the gap increase to 94.”
He said southern states, including Puducherry, currently have 130 seats, while the rest of the country has 413. “After a 50% increase, southern states would have 195 seats and others 621. This gives an undue advantage of 208 seats to northern states. It will increase disparities between North and South India and is not good for the country’s existence.”
Stating that political strength depends on numbers, he said, “Bargaining happens among equals. Percentage is not important; numbers are. Without numbers, no one will engage with you. Discussions do not take place between strong and weak parties. By weakening southern states and strengthening northern states, the Centre is pushing people of southern states towards second-grade status. Small states like Punjab and Delhi will also lose political relevance.”
The chief minister alleged a political motive in linking women’s reservation to delimitation. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using delimitation and women’s reservation as political tools.
Rejecting BJP claims that Congress opposed women’s reservation, he said, “It was Congress that gave women voting rights in this country and provided opportunities in key constitutional posts. Rajiv Gandhi introduced reservations for women in local bodies. Congress first introduced and passed the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha and supported it when the NDA government brought it in Parliament. Congress remains committed to women’s reservation.”
He said that if 33% reservation had been implemented in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 181 women would have been elected out of 543 seats. He called for immediate implementation by removing the provision linking it to the post-2026 Census. “If the Union government brings in an amendment Bill, Congress is ready to support it in Parliament without discussion.”
He added, “Since its inception, the BJP has not had a woman as its national president. This reflects its commitment. A party that has not made a woman its national president has no right to speak about women’s reservation.”
Responding to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and BJP leader Bandi Sanjay, he said, “If Telangana had no role in forming the Union government, these two would not have become ministers. They would not be useful for anything except standing at the gates and saluting like peons (bantrothu). They would not be given even a peon’s post.”