Amit Shah’s statement on southern States not losing Lok Sabha seats post delimitation is not trustworthy: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah questions fairness of delimitation process, warns of potential loss of Lok Sabha seats for southern States.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday (February 27, 2025) said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that southern States will not be disadvantaged in the delimitation process is not trustworthy and it rather appears to be aimed at creating confusion in the southern States.

“Going by the Home Minister’s vague remarks, it seems that either he lacks proper information or there is a deliberate intent to disadvantage the southern States, including Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

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If the Union Government genuinely wishes to ensure fairness for the southern States, Mr. Shah must clarify whether delimitation would be based on the latest population ratio or on the current number of Lok Sabha seats, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

“It is evident that if delimitation is carried out based on the latest population ratio, it will be a severe injustice to the southern states,” he said. To prevent such unfairness, previous delimitation exercises were conducted using the 1971 census as the basis, following Constitutional amendments, he added.

Over the past 50 years, southern States have effectively controlled population growth while progressing significantly in terms of development. Meanwhile, northern States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have failed to regulate population growth and continue to lag in development.

“As a result, if delimitation is based on the latest census, southern states, including Karnataka, may see a reduction or stagnation in their number of Lok Sabha seats, while northern states will gain more seats. In either scenario, the southern states will bear the loss. Is the Home Minister unaware of this?” he asked.