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The Modi government has hinted at undertaking a delimitation exercise before the 2029 elections, raising concerns about potential regional imbalances in political representation.
What is Delimitation?
Delimitation involves redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies based on the latest census data, as per Article 82 of the Indian Constitution.
The last delimitation was based on the 1971 Census, with further freezes until 2026.
The process was suspended to avoid penalizing states with effective population control measures.
Potential Consequences of Delimitation
Non-Hindi States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal (with lower birth rates) may lose Lok Sabha seats
While Hindi heartland states (with higher fertility rates) will gain more seats.
This shift would increase the representation of BJP-dominated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, potentially weakening the influence of non-Hindi states in national politics.
Non-Hindi states contribute more to India’s GDP and tax revenue, but they may lose political power, leading to concerns of disproportionate political control by less economically productive states.
Impact on Federalism
Delimitation could skew India’s federal structure, where power is balanced between the Union and states.
States that have implemented population control successfully may lose representation, while states with higher growth rates gain more political influence.
The shift could increase the dominance of Hindi-speaking states, threatening the multi-ethnic, multi-lingual nature of India’s federal system.
It risks turning India into an ethno-linguistic majoritarian state rather than a pluralistic federation.
Way Forward
One option is to extend the freeze on delimitation for another 25 years, as was done previously by Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, delaying the issue.
Another solution is to permanently freeze the redistribution of seats between states, maintaining the current balance.
If delimitation goes ahead, it should be accompanied by a new federal compact that decentralizes power by shifting more subjects to the states, balancing out the centralization brought by delimitation.
A compromise could be to keep the current seat distribution but increase the number of seats in each state to offset the population growth disparities.
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