Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has reiterated his opposition to the proposed delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies, warning that a population-based redistribution of parliamentary seats could reduce the political influence of southern states.
Speaking at the India Today Karnataka Roundtable, Shivakumar said states that had successfully implemented population-control measures should not face political disadvantages because of their lower population growth.
He argued that southern states had followed the Centre’s population policy for decades, but could now lose relative representation if Lok Sabha seats are allocated using updated population figures.
Shivakumar also opposed a proposal to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha by 50 per cent. He said such an expansion would benefit northern states disproportionately because of their larger populations.
“I don’t agree with that. It is simply a political strategy,” Shivakumar said, adding that increasing the number of seats could weaken the representation of southern India.
He said the existing strength of Parliament should preferably be retained. Shivakumar also suggested that women’s reservation could be implemented within the current strength of the Lok Sabha rather than substantially increasing the total number of seats.
The Karnataka leader said Tamil Nadu and Kerala shared similar concerns over delimitation. He maintained that the interests and political representation of southern states must be protected during any future exercise.
The delimitation debate has intensified amid concerns in southern states that using updated population data could alter the balance of parliamentary representation. States such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have argued that their population-control efforts should not result in reduced political weight.
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