Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Tables Resolution Against Delimitation In State Assembly

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy introduced a resolution opposing the upcoming delimitation process in the state legislative assembly on Thursday. The resolution highlighted concerns over the lack of transparency in the planned exercise, stating that the House expresses deep concern over the manner in which the impending delimitation exercise is being planned without transparent consultations with stakeholders.

The resolution was subsequently adopted and passed by the assembly. Reddy later took to social media platform X to announce the decision, stating that they passed a resolution asking the Centre not to take any steps that compromise the political self-respect and legitimate rights of their people. He added that the people of Telangana and citizens of all other southern states stand united in protecting their rights.

Emphasizing the significance of the move, he further stated that they will fight against all attempts to take away their rights. He remarked that the first battle was won today, and while the war ahead is long, they will eventually prevail.

The resolution aligns with Reddy's recent commitment at the Joint Action Committee meeting hosted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in Chennai on March 22. During the meeting, Reddy assured leaders from other southern states that he would introduce a resolution against delimitation in Telangana's legislative assembly and urged them to pass similar resolutions in their respective states.

The resolution passed by the Telangana Assembly stated that the House urges any delimitation exercise to be conducted transparently and after extensive consultations with all state governments, political parties, and stakeholders. It further mentioned that states which have effectively implemented the Centre's population control programs should not be penalized for reducing their population share and that population should not be the sole criterion for delimitation.

Additionally, it pointed out that the objectives of the 2nd, 84th, and 87th Constitutional amendments, which aimed at national population stabilization, have not yet been fully realized.

As an alternative, the resolution suggested keeping the freeze on the number of Parliamentary seats intact but redrawing constituency boundaries within states. It proposed augmenting seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes based on the latest population data and ensuring adequate representation for women.

The resolution also called for increasing the number of seats in the Telangana legislative assembly from 119 to 153, as promised under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014. Reddy pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim had already seen an increase in legislative assembly seats based on the 2011 Census. He argued that Telangana should be granted the same treatment and that the resolution was being moved to expose the Centre's contradictory policies.

Reddy further stressed the importance of unity among political parties in Telangana to support the resolution. He accused the Centre of attempting to weaken state governments through the delimitation process, warning that if constituency reallocation is done based solely on population, the share of southern states in national parliamentary seats would drop from 24% to 19%.

At the Joint Action Committee meeting in Chennai, leaders decided that the next round of discussions would be held in Hyderabad. The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi extended its support for the resolution, while the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in opposition in Telangana, distanced itself from the initiative.