Telangana CM Seeks All Party Dialogue on Lok Sabha Seat Expansion and Delimitation Concerns

• Telangana CM calls for all party meet on Lok Sabha expansion
• Delimitation concerns raised over federal balance and representation
• Hybrid model proposed to ensure fairness in Lok Sabha seats

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate a nationwide dialogue by convening an all party meeting on the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats. He emphasized that such a significant decision must involve all states and political parties to ensure transparency and collective agreement.

In his communication, Reddy highlighted that the ongoing debate has created confusion among the public by linking three separate issues including women reservation delimitation and expansion of Lok Sabha seats. He clarified that these matters should be treated independently and addressed with clarity to avoid misunderstanding.

Expressing clear support for women reservation, he stated that it should be implemented immediately in both Parliament and State Assemblies without waiting for an increase in the number of seats. He pointed out that past delimitation exercises were carried out by adjusting constituency boundaries without altering the total number of seats and suggested that a similar approach could be considered again.

However, the Chief Minister identified the proposal to expand Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 as the most sensitive issue. He cautioned that adopting a population based or proportional model could create serious imbalances, particularly affecting southern states. According to him, such a move risks weakening the federal structure and could lead to long term political inequality.

Reddy recalled that former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had earlier postponed similar decisions to protect national unity and regional balance. He stressed that changing demographic patterns should not be the sole basis for political representation.

He further argued that southern states including Telangana Tamil Nadu Karnataka Andhra Pradesh Kerala and Puducherry have consistently focused on population control economic growth and human development. Despite their contributions, the proposed model could reduce their representation and influence in Parliament.

The Chief Minister also raised concerns over financial distribution, stating that some states receive greater benefits despite contributing less economically. He warned that increasing Lok Sabha seats without considering economic performance and development indicators could deepen regional disparities and fuel division between different parts of the country.

To address these challenges, Reddy proposed a hybrid model for seat allocation. Under this approach, a portion of the seats would be distributed based on population while the remaining would consider factors such as economic contribution and development performance. He believes this method would strike a balance between democratic representation and fairness.

He strongly cautioned that moving forward without addressing these concerns may lead to widespread opposition from several states. According to him, the issue goes beyond numbers and touches upon the principles of equity and national unity.

Calling for careful deliberation, Reddy urged the central government to build a broad consensus before making any decision. He expressed hope that India can arrive at a balanced framework that reflects the aspirations of all regions and safeguards the spirit of cooperative federalism.

The Chief Minister is also scheduled to visit New Delhi, where further discussions on the matter are expected to take place.