Andhra Minister Lokesh Invokes Pranab Mukherjee on Delimitation Amidst Congress Criticism

Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh – On Thursday, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh forcefully defended the impending delimitation exercise and the proposal to increase the number of Lok Sabha seats, directly challenging the Congress party's reservations on the matter. Lokesh invoked the respected figure of late President Pranab Mukherjee, citing his unequivocal support for an expanded Lok Sabha as a means to ensure more effective representation for India's burgeoning population.

Speaking from Amaravati, Lokesh questioned the Congress's apparent change of heart, stating, 'Was Pranab da wrong? Or has the Congress party changed its mind, keeping politics above the nation?' His remarks came amidst a growing national debate surrounding the post-2026 delimitation, an exercise mandated by the Constitution to redraw parliamentary and assembly constituencies based on population changes.

The Constitutional Mandate for Delimitation

Delimitation is the process of fixing the boundaries of territorial constituencies to ensure that each segment of the population receives equitable representation. Articles 82 and 170 of the Indian Constitution mandate the readjustment and division of each state into territorial constituencies after every census. Historically, Delimitation Commissions have been established four times in India—in 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002—under specific Delimitation Commission Acts.

The current framework, however, operates under a constitutional freeze. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 froze the total number of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census until the first Census after 2000, a freeze later extended by the 84th Amendment Act of 2002 until the first Census after 2026. This measure was primarily intended to prevent states that had successfully implemented population control measures, particularly in the South, from being penalized with reduced political representation.

Pranab Mukherjee's Stance on Expanding Parliament

Lokesh's reference to Pranab Mukherjee is particularly potent, as the former President had on multiple occasions advocated for increasing the strength of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Mukherjee argued that India's electorate had become disproportionately large for its elected representatives. He noted that in 1971, India's population was around 54 crore (540 million), which had more than doubled by the 2011 census to 121 crore (1.21 billion), and further increased to nearly 146 crore by 2026. With only 543 Lok Sabha constituencies representing such a vast populace, the average Member of Parliament now represents approximately 2.5 times as many citizens as they did when the freeze was imposed.

Mukherjee suggested a substantial increase, proposing the Lok Sabha's strength be raised to 1,000 members to provide better representation to its people, emphasizing that the freeze was always temporary and a 'strong case' existed to remove it. The Pranab Mukherjee Foundation (PMF) later reiterated these suggestions, recommending a two-step process involving a Delimitation Commission based on the 2031 Census and a State Reorganisation Act to address population disparities.

The North-South Divide and Political Implications

The debate over delimitation has a significant North-South dimension. Southern states, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka, have voiced concerns that a delimitation based purely on current population figures would reduce their share of parliamentary seats, effectively 'punishing' them for their success in population control. This could lead to a shift in political influence towards northern states, which have experienced higher population growth.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, for instance, has argued that even with proportional increases, larger states would still gain significantly greater political influence due to their higher number of MPs. However, Lokesh countered this, stating that expanding the Lok Sabha while retaining each state's existing proportional share of seats is both fair and constitutionally justified. He argued that such an approach would protect states that successfully implemented population stabilization measures while simultaneously improving representation for all Indians. Lokesh emphasized that parliamentary equations would remain unchanged if all states received the same proportional increase in representation, ensuring no single state gains an undue advantage when the proportional balance is maintained.

Ultimately, the upcoming delimitation exercise, scheduled after the 2026 census, presents a critical challenge for India's federal structure. It necessitates balancing the constitutional principle of 'one vote, one value' with the need to safeguard the interests of states that have adhered to national population policies, ensuring that demographic responsibility does not lead to political marginalization.