Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar urged the Southern Zonal Council to retain the Lok Sabha at 543 seats [1].
The request aims to prevent southern states from losing parliamentary representation during the upcoming delimitation exercise. Because these states have more successfully controlled population growth compared to northern regions, a redistribution of seats based on current numbers could shift political power away from the south.
Speaking at a meeting in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2024 [4], Shivakumar called for the council to adopt a formal resolution. He said the delimitation process should honor the 1971 census [2] rather than more recent data.
Shivakumar also proposed a 25-year freeze on the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha [3]. This measure is intended to stabilize representation and ensure that states are not penalized for implementing effective public health, and population policies.
The Chief Minister linked the delimitation issue to the pending women’s reservation bill. He said that fairness in the devolution of power and the determination of seat boundaries must be addressed to maintain regional equity.
During the session, the leaders discussed the broader implications of seat redistribution. Shivakumar said that the Southern Zonal Council should present a united front to ensure that the interests of southern states are protected in the national legislature [2].
“retain the Lok Sabha at 543 seats”
Delimitation is the process of redrawing electoral boundaries to reflect population changes. If the Indian government uses recent census data, states in the north with higher population growth will likely gain more seats, while southern states that stabilized their populations may see their influence in the Lok Sabha shrink. By advocating for the 1971 census and a seat cap, Karnataka is attempting to decouple political representation from raw population growth to maintain a regional balance of power.
