Delimitation: Chidambaram, Sharmila tell Nara Lokesh to ‘redo the math’ on southern States

TDP national working president and Andhra Pradesh Minister of IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday (May 22, 2026) questioned the Congress party’s opposition to the Delimitation Bill, arguing that southern states could lose relative representation in Parliament once the constitutional freeze on seat allocation ends after the post-2026 Census. The row, which began with Mr. Lokesh’s interview to The Hindu on delimitation and his exchange with senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on X, drew a fresh response from Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila.

Ms. Sharmila said on X that Mr. Lokesh was “attempting to create confusion where there is none”. The Congress had consistently held that southern states must not be punished for successfully implementing population control, she said, and the party had opposed any delimitation that could reduce the South’s relative voice in Parliament “without iron-clad constitutional guarantees”.

Merely increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats would not protect southern states, she said, as the real issue was relative representation and political influence under Article 81. Even if Andhra Pradesh gained seats, the proportional strength of southern states could diminish against the more populous northern states. She also said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which once championed federalism, was now defending the BJP’s position without seeking explicit safeguards for the South.

Responding to remarks made by senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on social media platform X, Mr. Lokesh referred to Article 81 of the Constitution, under which the allocation of Lok Sabha seats has remained frozen based on the 1971 Census figures.

He pointed out that the constitutional freeze is scheduled to end after the first Census conducted post-2026, making reapportionment of parliamentary seats inevitable.

According to Mr. Lokesh, every South Indian state would face a decline in relative representation compared to northern states if seat redistribution is carried out purely on population basis.

The minister said this demographic imbalance was the key concern consistently raised by southern states and claimed that the NDA government attempted to address the issue through the Delimitation Bill and proposals for proportionate increase in parliamentary seats for all states.

Questioning the Congress party’s position, Mr. Lokesh asked why it opposed the Delimitation Bill in Parliament despite the constitutional implications for southern states. He accused the Congress party of indulging in political posturing at the cost of South India’s long-term interests.

Mr. Lokesh further asked the Congress leadership to clarify what would happen after the 2026 Census under the existing provisions of Article 81 and whether southern states would indeed lose relative representation vis-à-vis northern states.

The minister said the Congress party owed clear answers to the people of South India on its stand regarding delimitation and future parliamentary representation.

Mr. Chidambaram, in his post late on Thursday (May 21, 2026) said, My young friend, Mr. Nara Lokesh, should revisit the math on delimitation. Even if Andhra Pradesh gains more Lok Sabha seats, its relative representation will decline if Article 81 is implemented unchanged. That is why Southern states opposed the proposal. Population control success should not become a political disadvantage.