Telangana Congress plans all-party meet on delimitation concerns in South

The Congress government in Telangana is preparing to organize an all-party meeting to address the issue of delimitation, a move that Minister for Information and Public Relations Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy says aims to rally support against population-based delimitation, which is viewed as potentially harmful to southern states.

Although the date for the meeting has not been confirmed, this initiative follows a similar meeting in Tamil Nadu that resulted in a resolution to delay delimitation for 30 years.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin recently communicated with leaders from several states, including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, and Punjab, expressing concern that delimitation based on the upcoming census could significantly diminish political representation for states with controlled population growth.

Stalin urged these states to appoint representatives to a Joint Action Committee (JAC) established during Tamil Nadu’s all-party meeting.

Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy accused the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance of using the delimitation exercise to disadvantage the southern regions. Southern states fear losing parliamentary seats if the process adheres to the new census data.

The Cabinet decided on holding the all-party meeting during a Thursday night meeting, with invitations extended to all parties, including opposition BJP and BRS.

The Telangana government has yet to decide on joining Tamil Nadu’s JAC or pursuing an independent approach against delimitation.

A Congress leader noted that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy would consult with party colleagues before any decision, with meetings likely to coincide with the upcoming Assembly session on March 12. The primary concern is opposing delimitation, with Revanth Reddy previously labeling the process a "conspiracy against the southern states" and accusing the BJP of trying to weaken them politically.