Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed his strong reservations over the latest proposals by the Centre to increase the number of assembly and Lok Sabha seats across the country by flat 50%, instead of going in for increase in the seats based on the population.
Speaking in a media conclave organised by television channel TV9, Revanth Reddy warned that any unilateral expansion of parliamentary constituencies could weaken the political voice of southern states in national politics.
The chief minister said the proposed 50% increase in parliamentary seats cannot be treated as a routine administrative or constitutional exercise, and instead carries far-reaching political consequences for the federal balance between North and South India.
He argued that if the number of seats is increased, it should be done in a way that ensures that the existing gap in parliamentary representation between northern and southern states does not widen further.
Revanth Reddy warned that the southern states — many of which have performed better on indicators such as population control, human development, education, and governance — could effectively be penalised if future seat allocation is driven purely by population.
“Even if parliamentary seats are increased strictly on the basis of population, the southern states stand to lose politically,” he argued, stressing that the issue goes beyond arithmetic and touches the very structure of India’s federal democracy.
The chief minister described the proposed 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats as the “final bullet”, suggesting that such a move could permanently alter the balance of political power in the country.
He said that if parliamentary representation in northern states rises sharply, there could come a time when a government at the Centre may be formed without needing meaningful support from the southern states at all.
According to him, such a scenario would have serious implications not only for electoral politics, but also for the place of southern leaders in national politics and the Union government.
“If this trend continues, the day may come when the South is no longer politically indispensable in the formation of the Central government,” he cautioned.
Revanth Reddy called upon southern states to prepare for a coordinated political struggle on the delimitation issue, saying the matter should not be left to the discretion of the Centre or treated as a technical exercise.
He insisted that any proposal to increase seats or redraw constituencies must be preceded by wide consultations with all stakeholders and political parties.
“All sides must be taken into confidence before moving forward on seat expansion,” he said, making it clear that a broad national consensus is essential before any such structural changes are implemented.
He also indicated that he intends to take the issue directly to the public, saying he would raise it during election campaigns in southern states and build wider awareness about what he described as a major democratic threat.
