Hyderabad, Apr 14 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday urged the Centre to build a national political consensus on Lok Sabha seat expansion and adopt a “hybrid model” for delimitation, while calling for immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill without linking it to an increase in seats.
In his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Revanth said three issues – Women’s Reservation, delimitation, and increase in Lok Sabha seats are being wrongly projected as interlinked and must be treated separately.
He reiterated support for 33 per cent reservation for women and urged its immediate implementation in Parliament and state assemblies without waiting for seat expansion.
Expressing concern over proposals to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 850 based on a pro-rata population model, Revanth Reddy warned that such a move could distort the federal balance and weaken representation of southern states.
He argued that states which implemented population control and contributed significantly to the economy could be “structurally disadvantaged” under a purely population-based approach.
Proposing an alternative, he suggested a ‘hybrid model’, under which half of the additional seats would be allocated based on population and the remaining half based on economic contribution (GSDP) and performance indicators.
The Chief Minister stressed that such a model would ensure fair representation while not penalising progressive states, and called for extensive consultations, including an all-party meeting, to arrive at a balanced solution.
He cautioned that proceeding without consensus could lead to widespread opposition, emphasising that decisions of such national importance must strengthen unity and reflect the aspirations of all regions.
TNT TS
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