Constituency delimitation: States that implemented successful population control measures should not be punished

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the central government should be prepared to take a decision on the Lok Sabha constituency delimitation issue through arriving at a consensus, taking all opinions into consideration.

The delimitation should be carried out without reducing the existing proportional share of seats of any state. States that have effectively implemented population control measures should not be affected. It is unfair to reduce the proportional representation in Parliament for states that have reduced their populations in accordance with the population control programs and family planning policies introduced by the central governments after independence. The Chief Minister also pointed out that it would be tantamount to rewarding states that failed in fulfilling such policies.

The constituency delimitation process was carried out earlier in the country in 1952, 1963, and 1973. However, in 1976, the 42nd Constitutional Amendment temporarily froze this process until the first census after 2000 (2001). This was to promote population control. Since the disparity in population among the states continued, the 84th Constitutional Amendment extended this freeze until the first census after 2026 (2031). This freeze is still active. The new hasty move by the central government is without taking this into account.

The central government's arguments that the southern Indian states will get additional seats on a pro-rata basis cannot be taken at face value. The centre has not been able to clarify whether this pro-rata distribution is based on the percentage of existing parliamentary seats or on population figures. In either case, the southern Indian states are losing representation.

The central government should be prepared to address the concerns of the southern Indian states. The Chief Minister also said that it is the responsibility of the central government to preserve the essence of democracy and federalism by avoiding unilateral measures.