Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Wednesday, April 15, slammed the Centre over the upcoming delimitation exercise of Lok Sabha seats and warned of unrest in South India.
The former Telangana minister said that delimitation can not be viewed as an administrative exercise, adding that it could lead to political injustice against the southern states.
In a post on X, KTR reiterated the party’s stand on delimitation and said that it will continue to oppose the exercise, which would “effectively implement population control measures”. He claimed that the southern states have played a major role in the economic progress of India and have managed their population better.
He argued that reducing their parliamentary representation would amount to punishing states that have performed well, which is contrary to democratic principles.
KTR made it clear that any attempt to weaken the voice of southern states in Parliament would not be accepted.
He said that the BRS would lead a determined and uncompromising fight to protect the rights and representation of people in the region.
The Sircilla MLA urged the Centre to act with wisdom regarding the delimitation and said legislators in New Delhi must understand the ground realities.
Reacting to the proposed delimitation, Telangana Jagruti President K Kavitha said the voice of the people of Telangana can not be diluted under the guise of delimitation. She also that Telangana’s position on delimitation is non-negotiable.
“For decades, the South has led the nation in economic growth and family planning; we should be rewarded for this progress, not punished with political disenfranchisement,” she added
In a post on X, the former Telangana MLC said, “Currently, Telangana holds a 3.13 per cent share in Parliament. While we already find this representation to be at the bare minimum, our way forward is centred on one core demand: this 3.13% must be the floor, not the ceiling.”
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Centre, she said the saffron party attempts to weaken the democratic stake of the southern states. She said that the delimitation would trigger a movement of the same scale and intensity as the Telangana agitation.
“We will take this fight from the halls of Parliament to every street in our state. We will fight this demographic injustice tooth and nail, and we will not retreat until the political sovereignty of Telangana is fully secured,” she concluded.
The two leaders remarks on delimitation comes as the Centre prepares to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850. This would be done through The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty First Amendment) Bill, 2026, to be taken up during a special session of Parliament on April 16 and 17.
Under the proposed amendment to Article 81, a maximum of 815 members will be chosen from states, with not more than 35 members to be chosen from Union Territories (UT).
The Bill also proposes amending Article 82, which currently governs the readjustment of parliamentary constituencies following each Census.
The proposed amendment seeks to delete the existing proviso mandating that the next delimitation exercise be carried out based on the first Census conducted after 2026, thereby allowing delimitation to proceed before the 2026-27 Census is completed.
This post was last modified on April 15, 2026 3:10 pm