Siddaramaiah Censures Amit Shah’s Delimitation Assurance, Calls It ‘Unreliable’, ‘Misleading’

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assurance that southern states will not lose any parliamentary seats due to delimitation, calling his statement "unreliable" and "misleading".

The CM suggested that Shah's claim was either based on a "lack of accurate information" or, more concerningly, a "deliberate attempt to undermine" states such as Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

Photo Credit: PTI

Speaking at the party office in Coimbatore yesterday, Shah stated, "I want to reassure the people of South India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept your interest in mind and will make sure that not even one seat is reduced. And whatever increase is there, southern states will get a fair share, there is no reason to doubt this."

Previous delimitation exercises used the 1971 census to ensure fairness and to acknowledge the developmental efforts of southern states.

Questioning the criteria for the upcoming delimitation process, Siddaramaiah urged the central government to maintain the current status.

A statement from the Chief Minister's Office included projections for changes in Lok Sabha seats if based on 2021 or 2031 census data:

Projected Seat Reductions in Southern States:
- Karnataka: 28 to 26
- Andhra Pradesh: 42 to 34
- Kerala: 20 to 12
- Tamil Nadu: 39 to 31

Projected Seat Increases in Northern States:
- Uttar Pradesh: 80 to 91
- Bihar: 40 to 50
- Madhya Pradesh: 29 to 33

Shah's reassurance came amidst a major meeting on delimitation and its implications, convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Southern states have expressed concerns that a reduction in parliamentary representation would weaken their influence in Parliament while increasing the political weight of northern states.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin argued that his state would be disadvantaged in the delimitation process due to the successful implementation of family planning programmes.

Siddaramaiah accused the central government of attempting to use delimitation "as a tool to weaken the political influence of southern states, which have resisted BJP dominance".

Discussions are already underway among southern states to form a united front, and a coordinated movement will soon be launched to oppose what they consider an unfair delimitation process.

The Delimitation Commission has been formed four times- in 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002. However, no delimitation took place following the 1981 and 1991 censuses. While delimitation occurred after the 2001 census, it did not result in an increase in the number of seats.

In September last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in the Lok Sabha that the census and delimitation process would be undertaken after the 2024 general election.