‘Bihar would have 20 more seats’: Upendra Kushwaha bats for delimitation, wants Patna to be renamed Pataliputra

Kushwaha accused former governments of denying Bihar its rightful share of representation, saying, “This is not just an issue of numbers; it is about justice. For the last 50 years, we have been systematically deprived of our constitutional rights.”

Referring to the freeze on delimitation imposed during the Emergency and extended until 2026, he said, “The time has come for Bihar to raise its voice and demand what is rightfully ours.”

Citing Articles 82 and 170 of the Constitution, Kushwaha said that delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats should have occurred after every decennial census. He pointed out that while this was done in 1951, 1961 and 1971, the process was frozen through the 42nd Amendment in 1976 under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency.

He argued that this freeze has resulted in gross under-representation for populous states like Bihar. “Today, one Lok Sabha seat in southern states represents about 21 lakh people, while in Bihar and other northern states, one MP represents around 31 lakh people,” he said. This, he argued, violates the core constitutional principle of “one person, one vote, one value.”

“Each MP gets Rs 5 crore annually under the MPLADS fund. But in the South, this amount is distributed among 21 lakh people, while in Bihar, it has to stretch across 31 lakh. This disparity is unfair and unacceptable,” Kushwaha said.

Opposition from southern states

Expressing faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, Kushwaha said he was confident the Centre would act in the interest of Bihar and other affected states. However, he also pointed to growing opposition from southern states.

“Some southern states have come together on a platform to oppose delimitation. They are lobbying both inside and outside Parliament to stall this process. But we must respond. Bihar must speak up,” he said.

Rejecting the argument that states with better population control should not be penalised with fewer seats, he said, “If we look back, southern states had higher population growth rates before Independence. Meanwhile, Bihar and others suffered repeated crises due to colonial repression, epidemics, poverty and natural disasters, which stunted population growth and development. Today, to use population control as a reason to deny us representation is not just flawed but historically inaccurate.”

Kushwaha warned that if population-based delimitation is not implemented, it would also undermine the representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women under the proposed 33% reservation in legislatures. “It is not just a matter of seats, it affects how much voice marginalised communities will have in Parliament and Assemblies,” he said.

He further alleged that the denial of proper representation has political motives. “If the Congress-led government in the 1970s had not frozen delimitation, Bihar would have 20 more MPs today. This is not a coincidence. It is a consequence of policy decisions that systematically weakened Bihar’s political presence,” he said.

Calling for mass mobilisation, Kushwaha said the RLM would take this movement to every household in Bihar. “Our campaign is not about elections. This is about constitutional rights, about ensuring that the voice of every Bihari counts in the nation’s governance,” he said.

He also took a dig at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying, “Dancing by the Ganga doesn’t make someone a Chief Minister. If that were true, the country’s biggest dancer would have become Prime Minister.”

Kushwaha addressed speculation that the rally was a show of strength ahead of the Assembly elections set to take place later this year. “If I needed to demonstrate my strength in Patna, Gandhi Maidan would have fallen short,” he said, adding, “This rally has nothing to do with elections. My respect comes from the people of Bihar. They have stood by me even during challenging times.”

‘Honour Emperor Ashoka’s legacy’

He also demanded that Patna be renamed Pataliputra to honour Emperor Ashoka’s legacy. “This is about restoring our historical and cultural pride,” he said.

On judicial reform, Kushwaha reiterated his party’s demand for scrapping the Collegium system and introducing open competitive exams for judges’ recruitment. “After we raised this demand, even the Hon’ble President has taken cognisance of the issue,” he said.

RLM said party leaders from across Bihar’s 38 districts participated in the event.