Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has once again voiced his opposition to the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, arguing that southern states should not be politically penalised for successfully controlling population growth.
Speaking at the India Today Karnataka Roundtable, Shivakumar warned that increasing the number of parliamentary seats and redistributing them on the basis of updated population figures could disproportionately benefit northern states.
He said such a move could ultimately weaken the political representation of southern India.
"Raising that number will create confusion among South Indians, and ultimately, the voice of South India will be choked," Shivakumar said.
'States that followed population policy should not be penalised'
Shivakumar argued that states such as Karnataka had followed the Centre's population-control policies for decades, resulting in slower population growth.
However, he said the same states now face the possibility of losing their relative share of political representation if future Lok Sabha seats are allocated primarily on the basis of population.
"We respected the Centre's population policy many years ago, which is why our population growth is much lower compared to North India. Now, when financial decisions are being taken based on population, we are being discriminated against despite having followed the population policy," he said.
The delimitation debate has triggered concerns across several southern states, where population growth has been lower compared with many northern states.
Leaders from the South have argued that a redistribution of Lok Sabha seats based on more recent population figures could reduce the region's relative political weight in Parliament.
Shivakumar opposes increase in Lok Sabha seats
Shivakumar also opposed proposals to significantly increase the strength of the Lok Sabha.
He rejected the idea of increasing the number of seats by 50 per cent, arguing that states with larger populations would gain a greater share of the additional constituencies.
"I don't agree with that. It is simply a political strategy. Whatever they are trying to raise, whether it is 50 per cent or more, North India will get more," he said.
According to Shivakumar, the existing strength of the Lok Sabha should be retained instead of substantially expanding Parliament.
He also suggested that women's reservation could be accommodated without a major increase in the total number of seats.
'South India's voice has to be protected'
The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister said the concerns over delimitation were shared by other southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
He argued that the political voice of southern India must be protected while deciding the future structure and representation of the Lok Sabha.
"We all expressed the same thing. We don't want the number to be increased. Whatever the number is there, it has to be shared equally," Shivakumar said.
The debate over delimitation is expected to remain a major political issue, particularly as concerns grow over how a future redistribution of parliamentary constituencies could affect the balance of representation between India's northern and southern states.
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