Delimitation To Make South Powerless: CM Revanth

Terming the proposal as “anti-South India”, Revanth Reddy warned that it could allow non-southern states — northern states — to largely determine who comes to power at the Centre, leaving southern states with a diminished role.

Speaking at an event in Delhi on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy alleged that a uniform 50 per cent increase in seats across all states appears to be a “conspiracy” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to secure power at the Centre without depending on southern states.

He said the proposal would further deepen the 'north-south divide', pointing out that northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, which already have a higher number of parliamentary seats, would gain disproportionately more seats compared to southern states.

Revanth Reddy noted that at present, out of the total 543 Lok Sabha seats, southern states account for only 130 seats, while non-southern states hold 413. With a 50 per cent increase, he said, southern states would have 195 seats out of a total of 815, while non-southern states would command 620 seats.

“In this scenario, who will give value to the southern states? With a 50 per cent seat hike, southern states will become politically irrelevant,” he remarked, adding that the proposal would act as a “final bullet” to be fired at the south instead of being slapped 10 times.

He illustrated the disparity by citing that seats in Uttar Pradesh would rise from 80 to 120, while the combined seats of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry would increase only from 40 to 60. The current gap of 40 seats between them would widen to 60 seats after the proposed hike, he said.

The Chief Minister suggested that if the Centre proceeds with increasing Lok Sabha seats, it should evolve a formula to maintain the existing balance between northern and southern states. He also called for southern states to unite against what he described as “political discrimination,” stating that he was ready to join hands with like-minded leaders.

Revanth Reddy said that even if delimitation was done based on population, even then southern states will be at a loss, as they effectively controlled the population following the directions of the Centre, and now they will be punished for successful implementation of family planning measures.

Referring to efforts by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who had earlier convened a meeting of southern states on the issue, Revanth Reddy said the time had come to take the movement forward.

On his political plans, Revanth Reddy said he would focus on Telangana politics for the next decade, adding that his party leadership would decide on any national role for him after 2034. He said his government had already implemented most of the six guarantees promised during the 2023 Assembly elections and assured that the remaining would be fulfilled as the state’s financial situation improves, blaming the previous BRS government for leaving behind a heavy debt burden.

He also predicted that the BRS and the BJP could ally for the 2029 Assembly elections in Telangana but expressed confidence that the Congress would retain power for a second consecutive term.