‘South Will Be Sidelined’: CM Revanth Reddy Smells Conspiracy Behind LS Seat Hike Based On Population

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday raised strong objections over the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats based on population, alleging that there is a “conspiracy” behind the move.

Speaking to media during his visit to the national capital, Reddy expressed apprehensions that the Centre can come to power with seats from four northern states, without any role of South India. “Increasing MP seats by 50 percent will allow the Centre to form a government using seats from a few northern states, without depending on southern states,” he said.

The Chief Minister urged the Centre to discuss this issue with all political parties before taking any final decision in this regard. Reddy further called on the southern states to prepare for a united fight against delimitation.

Asked on what basis the calculations should be done, CM Reddy stated that the proposal, if implemented, will benefit northern states, while completely sidelining the south. Explaining in detail, he said, “The current 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry could rise to 60, while Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats could go up to 120. This way, there is a possibility that seats in four states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar together would be enough to form a government at the Centre.” This would further reduce the political importance of southern states which, he said, has already declined.

It is worth mentioning here that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier shared the Centre’s proposal with NDA allies, suggesting increasing the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats by 50 percent based on each state’s population as per the 2011 census. Once implemented, Telangana’s Lok Sabha seats could increase from 17 to 26, and Assembly seats from 119 to 179.

Sources said within Telangana, population-based seat increase would mean more constituencies in the Core Urban Region Economy (CURE) area within the Outer Ring Road, which includes Greater Hyderabad and nearby districts. There is also a possibility of more Assembly seats in cities like Warangal, Khammam and Nizamabad.