AP Minister Nara Lokesh defended the NDA's delimitation bill, arguing it protected southern states from losing Lok Sabha seats. He questioned Congress's opposition, prompting a reply from P Chidambaram who called the NDA's proposal an illusion.
Andhra Pradesh Minister and TDP leader Nara Lokesh on Friday defended the NDA government's position on delimitation and questioned the Congress party over its opposition to the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2026, saying southern states risk losing relative representation in the Lok Sabha once the constitutional freeze under Article 81 ends after the post-2026 Census.
Lokesh Questions Congress's Stance on Delimitation
In a post on X, Lokesh responded to Congress leader P Chidambaram, who had argued that southern states would lose relative strength in Parliament if Article 81 is applied without constitutional changes. "Under Article 81 of the Constitution of India, the allocation of seats in the House of the People has remained frozen based on the 1971 Census. This constitutional freeze is set to end after the first Census conducted post-2026. Once the freeze is lifted, reapportionment becomes inevitable. Every South Indian state - without exception - stands to lose relative representation compared to the northern states," Lokesh wrote.
He said the NDA had attempted to address the imbalance through the Delimitation Bill and a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states. "That is precisely the concern we have consistently raised, and the very imbalance the NDA sought to address through the Delimitation Bill and a proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states," he said.
Questioning the Congress party's stand, Lokesh asked why the Opposition had resisted the legislation in Parliament. "Surely, a distinguished legal mind such as yours is fully aware of this constitutional position. Which raises an important question: why did the Congress party oppose the Delimitation Bill in Parliament? Was it political posturing at the cost of South India's long-term interests?" he asked. "The Congress party must answer the simple questions: under Article 81, as it currently stands, what happens after the 2026 Census? Does the South not lose relative representation vis-a-vis the North? If that is indeed the case, why oppose a constitutional mechanism intended to prevent precisely that outcome?" he further wrote. Dear Sir, Under Article 81 of the Constitution of India, the allocation of seats in the House of the People has remained frozen based on the 1971 Census. This constitutional freeze is set to end after the first Census conducted post-2026. Once the freeze is lifted,… https://t.co/RRBzaWgtfj — Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) May 22, 2026
Chidambaram Counters, Calls NDA's Bill an 'Illusion'
Lokesh's remarks came in response to Chidambaram's criticism of his comments in an interview with an English-language daily newspaper regarding delimitation and representation of southern states. "My young friend, Mr Nara Lokesh, Minister in Andhra Pradesh should do his math before talking about delimitation," Chidambaram wrote on X.
He said opposition parties had opposed the Constitution Amendment Bill because the proposed formula would still reduce the relative strength of southern states in the Lok Sabha if Article 81 remained unchanged. "The Opposition parties opposed and defeated the Constitution Amendment Bill because the math showed that the five Southern states will lose representation in the LS in terms of RELATIVE strength (if Art 81 is applied without a change)," Chidambaram said.
He further argued that increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats for each state would not address the issue of proportional decline in representation. "The gainers will be some of the North Indian states The BJP tried to mask the outcome by increasing the representation in LS of each State by 50%, but that was exposed as an illusion," he wrote.
"Whether you take the representation of AP in LS at the current level of 25 seats or increase it to 38 seats, if Article 81 is applied without a change, the RELATIVE representation of AP will diminish or reduce. I urge Mr Lokesh to please do the math again," he added.
Context: Lokesh's Interview Comments
In his interview with an English-language daily newspaper, Lokesh had said that political parties opposing the Bill had "done a grave injustice to the South" by blocking a mechanism that could have protected southern states from losing seats after delimitation. Referring to Article 81, he argued that representation in the Lok Sabha would eventually have to reflect population changes once the constitutional freeze ends. "Due to the defeat of the Bill, which was based on the last Census, the States' representation in the Lower House will now be based on the next Census, which would place the South at a disadvantage. Tamil Nadu and Kerala will lose about seven seats, Andhra Pradesh will lose about three, and Telangana will lose one," Lokesh had said in the interview.
The Defeated Constitution Amendment Bill
The Opposition parties during the three-day special session in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill on April 17. The Lok Sabha took up the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill together for passing.
In the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill following the debate on the three bills, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against. The Bills aimed at delimitation exercise based on the 2011 census, to operationalise the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, and provide for one-third reserved seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures. The Opposition supported the women's reservation while criticising the delimitation exercise. (ANI)
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