Former Union minister P Chidambaram has alleged that the voice of southern states will be “pressed and suppressed” in the Lok Sabha if the proposed constitutional amendment linked to delimitation moves forward.
In a statement, he said his fears about the draft constitutional amendment have now been borne out. He pointed to Tamil Nadu’s current Lok Sabha strength of 39, noting that claims it would rise to 58 were, in his view, misleading.
According to Chidambaram, after constituency delimitation, Tamil Nadu’s seats would instead fall to 46. In contrast, he said Uttar Pradesh’s current 80 seats would first rise to 120 and then increase further to 140 after delimitation.
He added that the combined representation of five southern states that have stabilised population stands at 24.3% at present, but would drop to 20.7%. Calling for a collective response, he urged parties to oppose and defeat the draft constitutional amendment.
