Why Did Congress Oppose Delimitation Bill?: Nara Lokesh to Chidambaram
Lokesh said the NDA had attempted to address the imbalance through the Delimitation Bill and a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Minister and TDP leader Nara Lokesh on Friday defended the NDA government's position on delimitation and questioned the Congress party over its opposition to the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, saying southern states risk losing relative representation in the Lok Sabha once the constitutional freeze under Article 81 ends after the post-2026 Census.
In a post on X, Lokesh responded to Congress leader P Chidambaram, who had argued that southern states would lose relative strength in Parliament if Article 81 is applied without constitutional changes
."Under Article 81 of the Constitution of India, the allocation of seats in the House of the People has remained frozen based on the 1971 Census. This constitutional freeze is set to end after the first Census conducted post-2026. Once the freeze is lifted, reapportionment becomes inevitable. Every South Indian state - without exception - stands to lose relative representation compared to the northern states," Lokesh wrote.
He said the NDA had attempted to address the imbalance through the Delimitation Bill and a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states. "That is precisely the concern we have consistently raised, and the very imbalance the NDA sought to address through the Delimitation Bill and a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states," he said.
Questioning the Congress party's stand, Lokesh asked why the Opposition had resisted the legislation in Parliament. "Surely, a distinguished legal mind such as yours is fully aware of this constitutional position. Which raises an important question: why did the Congress party oppose the Delimitation Bill in Parliament? Was it political posturing at the cost of South India's long-term interests?" he asked.
"The Congress party must answer the simple questions: under Article 81, as it currently stands, what happens after the 2026 Census? Does the South not lose relative representation vis-a-vis the North? If that is indeed the case, why oppose a constitutional mechanism intended to prevent precisely that outcome?" he further wrote.
Lokesh's remarks came in response to Chidambaram's criticism of his comments in an interview with an English-language daily newspaper regarding delimitation and representation of southern States.
"My young friend, Mr Nara Lokesh, Minister in Andhra Pradesh should do his math before talking about delimitation," Chidambaram wrote on X. He said opposition parties had opposed the Constitution Amendment Bill because the proposed formula would still reduce the relative strength of southern states in the Lok Sabha if Article 81 remained unchanged.
"The Opposition parties opposed and defeated the Constitution Amendment Bill because the math showed that the five southern states will lose representation in the LS in terms of RELATIVE strength (if Art 81 is applied without a change)," Chidambaram said.