If this work is done on the basis of population, it is bound to bring serious injustice to the southern states
Posted Date – Mon, 12 Jun 23 at 12:30pm
If this work is done on the basis of population, it is bound to bring serious injustice to the southern states
Representative democracy has never been a static phenomenon, but a dynamic institution that needs to respond from time to time to the changing needs of people. The test of democracy’s success is how close it can be to the people, and how quickly it can adapt to changing local dynamics to meet the aspirations of the people. Governing is one way to reflect changing population dynamics. However, given the current political motivations of the centre, there are real concerns about the proposed division of Lok Sabha seats after 2026. This can lead to unequal representation in parliament. If this work is done on a population basis, then it is bound to bring serious injustice to the southern states. For decades, these countries have controlled populations through a progressive set of policies and can suffer severe injustices from population-based delineation. Northern states that ignore the central government’s population control measures will benefit from the demarcation, while states that strive to strengthen their national economies will suffer in the demarcation process. Reports that the NDA government will embark on the parliamentary constituency delineation process if the BJP retains power in the 2024 general election have raised legitimate concerns. The Lok Sabha in the new parliament building, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, has tripled its seating capacity to accommodate 888 MPs, while the new Rajya Sabha can Accommodates 384 MPs.
The demarcation campaign at some point in the future will lead to an increase in the number of MPs in the country. The 1971 census is the basis for the current Lok Sabha seat allocation. Currently, the lower house of parliament has 543 seats. Under the 84th Amendment to the Constitution, district boundaries are frozen until the first census after 2026, or at least until after 2031. The last demarcation exercise to change the composition of the Lok Sabha state was completed in 1976 and was based on the 1971 census. In the current situation, demarcation and the smaller share of central funding distributed to states based on population may be unfair to southern states that have improved economically significantly since the early 2000s. Southern states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala ended up with seats in parliament despite significant progress on all fronts may be reduced. It will also affect the allocation of seats reserved for SC and ST in each state. Ironically, these states, which account for 18 percent of the nation’s population, contribute nearly 35 percent of gross domestic product.
