Delimitation row: Revanth Reddy wants current gap in seats be maintained, as 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats will leave South at a disadvantage

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has powerfully criticised the Central government’s connection to summation the fig of Lok Sabha seats by a broad 50% crossed each States, asserting that the determination volition disproportionately payment bluish States portion leaving confederate States politically marginalised.

In the caller proposals of the Central government, the full spot of the Lok Sabha is anticipated to emergence from the existent 543 seats to 816, an summation of 273 seats. Mr. Reddy has opposed the thought of applying a azygous 50% hike successful each State.

He argued that this attack would widen existing disparities betwixt States, peculiarly disadvantaging the confederate States. “The existent quality successful practice betwixt States indispensable beryllium maintained,” helium said adding that, “This broad 50% summation volition wounded the confederate States portion benefitting the bigger bluish States.”

Mr. Reddy cited Uttar Pradesh and Telangana arsenic a stark example. Uttar Pradesh presently has 80 MPs and it would spell up to 120 seats with a 50% increase. Telangana, present with 17 seats, would spell up lone to 26. Under the existing framework, the quality betwixt the 2 States is 63 seats; nether the 50% model, it would grow to 94 seats, giving undue vantage and power to UP.

Further, different confederate States — Tamil Nadu (39 seats), Karnataka (28), Andhra Pradesh (25) and Kerala (20) — which would spot increases proportionate to their existing allocations would stay importantly down larger bluish States, helium pointed out.

If the 50% exemplary is applied uniformly, the 5 confederate States collectively would summation aroud 66 seats, expanding their full from 129 to 195. The comparative imbalance is the halfway occupation arsenic Hindi-belt and bluish States, would spot a emergence of astir 142 seats, Mr. Reddy said.

He warned that erstwhile the numbers are separated strictly into bluish versus confederate aggregates, the bluish radical gains much than 200 seats, which would relegate 5 South States to the governmental periphery. “The Lok Sabha’s composition, which determines the enactment of the Central authorities indispensable not beryllium skewed against immoderate region.”

“There is nary objection to expanding the fig of Assembly seats wrong States,” Mr. Reddy clarified, “but Parliament is simply a antithetic shot crippled arsenic it shapes nationalist governance, and practice indispensable bespeak proportional balance.”

Mr. Reddy warned that nationalist choler could surge owed to this ‘discrimination’, seen during the Telangana agitation for Statehood. He besides criticised the Telangana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders K. Lakshman and Bandi Sanjay, accusing them of blindly defending the Centre’s proposal.