1971 census should be basis for delimitation: Karnataka CM

BENGALURU:

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

on Thursday warned against using the latest population figures for delimitation exercise, saying it would severely disadvantage southern states. He demanded that Centre clarify whether the exercise would be based on the 1971 Census, as was done previously, or on updated population data.
"It is evident that if delimitation is carried out based on the latest population ratio, it will be a severe injustice to southern states. To prevent such unfairness, previous delimitation exercises were conducted using the 1971 Census as basis, following constitutional amendments," Siddaramaiah said in a statement.
His remarks came a day after Union home minister Amit Shah said southern states would not lose a "single parliamentary seat" because of delimitation.
However, Siddaramaiah dismissed this claim as "untrustworthy", suggesting it was either misleading or aimed at creating confusion. He argued that Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh had successfully controlled their population growth over past 50 years, while making significant strides in development. This was not the case with some states in north, he added.

"As a result, if delimitation is based on the latest Census, southern states, including Karnataka, may see a reduction or stagnation in number of Lok Sabha seats, while northern states will gain more seats. In either scenario, southern states will bear the loss. Is the home minister unaware of this?" he asked.
Citing studies on the impact of delimitation, Siddaramaiah claimed Karnataka's Lok Sabha seats could shrink from 28 to 26, Andhra's from 42 to 34, Kerala's from 20 to 12, and TN's from 39 to 31, if the process is based on the latest Census. In contrast, UP's representation could increase from 80 to 91, Bihar's from 40 to 50, and Madhya Pradesh's from 29 to 33. "If this is not injustice, what is?" he questioned.
Terming the move as "unacceptable", Siddaramaiah emphasised that either the 1971 Census should continue to be the basis for delimitation or the overall number of Lok Sabha seats should be increased proportionally. "Looking at the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by Union govt for delimitation, it appears the real intent is to punish people of southern states for resisting his party's dominance," he alleged.
The CM accused Centre of systematically undermining Karnataka's interests, pointing to disparities in tax distribution, GST allocations, disaster relief funds, and amendments to UGC regulations. He criticised BJP and JDS MPs from the state for failing to challenge these policies and remaining "silent like slaves".
Siddaramaiah urged Kannadigas to set aside caste, religious and political differences to oppose the move, and said discussions were underway with other southern states to launch a coordinated movement against the proposed delimitation plan.