India must carefully implement Delimitation

(Dr Pullarao Pentapati)

A raging controversy has started on proposed Delimitation in India. Delimitation is normally supposed to be held after every 10- year census. But for convenience’s sake, Government many times is not able to complete the census of such a large country. The last Delimitation was done on the basis of the 2001 Census.

According to law, the next Delimitation is due after a census, which should have been held in 2021. But due to Covid, it was not held. But it is understood that a census must now be held, perhaps in 2005 or 2006.

Three important issues related to election are coming up. One is the census. Second is the Delimitation of Constituencies and the third is the Women’s Reservation Bill. If the census is held, then one can expect very big changes by the 2029 Parliament election. One -third of the seats in assemblies and parliament will be reserved for women.

Delimitation is done on the basis of population. The entire country is taken as one unit and according to the population of each state, the proportionate number of MP seats will be allotted. For a state, the number of parliament seats is important, as it will determine its role in national will determine its importance in national politics.

Up to 1976, Delimitation was done purely on the basis of population. But in 1975, many states pointed out that states which have developed fast and had high literacy rates like Tamil Nadu and Kerala were losing MP seats, while states like Uttar Pradesh were getting more seats, simply as their population is increasing.

Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister, and her son Sanjay Gandhi was very interested in population control. Sanjay Gandhi obviously suggested to the government that as the views of Tamil Nadu was right and they were controlling their population, they should not be penalized. So, the historic 42^nd. Amendment was brought into the Constitution, which said that “the number of MPs would be frozen for various states “. This meant that Delimitation would be done within a state. But the number of MPs for each state would be the same as it was in 1971.

Then again in 2001, after census, the same issue came up. Then prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee also did what Indira Gandhi did in 1976, and Vajpayee brought the 84^th. Constitutional amendment, which also “froze MPs seats “. The DMK was then in the government with Atal Behari Vajpayee. This meant that during the 2002 Delimitation exercise, number of MP seats was frozen.

Delimitation controversies: Now a new census and Delimitation is mandatory, as the 84 Constitutional amendments said that Delimitation must be held by 2026. Now the controversy is “will the number of MP seats be frozen or will they be increased “or “adjusted as per population”?

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin has raised this issue very forcefully, pointing out that his state Tamil Nadu and southern states will suffer.

1. If the number of Lok Sabha remains at 543 and they are adjusted according to population, then definitely southern states will lose MPs and Northern and Eastern states will get more.
2. If the number of MPs is Lok Sabha is increased from the present 543, then states with bigger population will get more MPs. Uttar Pradesh has 80 MPs and Telugu States have 42 MPs. If number of seats is increased by 20%, then Uttar Pradesh will have 96 MPs, and Telugu states will have only 50 MPs. Thus, the gap between Uttar Pradesh and Telugu states will increase from the present 38 MPs to 46 MPs.

Either way, southern states will suffer. Since there was much agitation, Home Minister Amit Shah said “that no southern state will have lesser seats than before. They will have more MP seats than they have now “.  But that is the problem. Southern states will have more MPs. But Northern States will have much more, since their population has grown much more.

Amit Shah very intelligently said “That southern states will not have their MPs reduced “. But Amit Shah did not say that at the same time, the increase of MPs for Northern and Western states will rise much more than southern states.  

Solutions:

1. The best solution is to again “Freeze the number of MPs “across India. as before.
2. If there has to be an increase in the total number of MPs in Lok Sabha, then it should be a very small increase, to say 560. Anything more will create fears and imbalances.

Why number of MPs should be frozen?

1. First of all, India should avoid too many controversies. We have many other serious issues, and we are only 80 years old. What difference does it make to give some states more MPs?
2. Right now, there is vast population changes. Millions of people from Odisha, Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are going to southern states, Maharashtra and Gujarat for work. They will probably settle there and become voters, It may be better to wait for another 20 years for the population to settle down in India.
3. Millions of people from south are working abroad. Their states should not be penalized,

The most important question is whether India needs another controversy. If some states and people feel that they are losing power in a democracy, then these grievances will become problematic.

There is an old saying “let sleeping dogs lie “. It simply means why create problems. That is why two great leaders Indira Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee froze parliament seats. Many problems go away when we wait. The slogan “Power according to population “should not apply here.

(Author is a Political and Economic Analyst based at New Delhi)