Delimitation, Women's Bill: Jagan Hits Out at Opposition Parties

Former Chief Minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that if the Centre had approved the proposed 50% increase in Lok Sabha seats through constituency delimitation, southern states would have gained additional MP seats, and the Women’s Reservation Bill would also have been passed.

He, however, urged the parties that blocked these bills in the Lok Sabha to introspect on what they had actually achieved. Expressing concern, Jagan said that by obstructing the Women’s Reservation Bill, those parties had denied justice both to women across the country and to the southern states. He noted that this has not only delayed the Women’s Reservation Bill but also created the risk of southern states losing MP seats.

He further warned that if the 2026 population census is implemented as the basis, the situation for southern states would worsen significantly. Jagan shared his views on the Women’s Reservation Bill and the delimitation proposals through a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday. Key points from his statement include:

Under the Centre’s proposed 50% seat increase policy, southern states would see a rise in MP seats. However, if the 2011 Census is taken as the basis, southern states would lose seats. If the 2026 Census is implemented, their situation would deteriorate further. States that effectively implemented family planning and controlled population growth would be unfairly penalized.
In Andhra Pradesh, the current 25 MP seats would increase to 38 under the 50% expansion policy. But if based on the 2011 Census, the number would be limited to 34 — a loss of 4 seats.
In Telangana, the current 17 MP seats would increase to 26 under the 50% policy. Under the 2011 Census, the number would be 24 — a loss of 2 seats.
In Karnataka, the current 28 MP seats would rise to 42 under the 50% policy. Even under the 2011 Census, the state would retain 42 seats, meaning no loss.
In Kerala, the current 20 MP seats would increase to 30 under the 50% policy. But under the 2011 Census, the number would drop to 23 — a loss of 7 seats.
In Tamil Nadu, the current 39 MP seats would increase to 59 under the 50% policy. Under the 2011 Census, the number would be 50 — a loss of 9 seats.

Jagan asserted that the 50% seat expansion is the most beneficial approach, warning that southern states would suffer greater losses if the 2026 Census is used.

To support his argument, he also shared detailed statistics in tabular form on his X account. He explained how the number of seats would increase in southern states under the 50% expansion model, and how significantly they would decline if based on the 2011 Census. He reiterated that the situation would worsen further under the 2026 Census.

He therefore emphasized that approving the Centre’s current delimitation proposal, including the 50% increase in seats, would be in the best interests of southern states.

Summarizing the broader impact on southern states:

Out of the current 534 Lok Sabha seats in the country, southern states hold 129 seats, accounting for 23.76% of the total.
If the Centre’s delimitation bill is approved with a 50% increase, the number of seats in southern states would rise to 195 out of a total of 815 seats nationwide, increasing their share to 23.87%.
If the 2011 Census is used, southern states would have only 174 seats out of 850, reducing their share to 20.44%, resulting in a loss of 21 seats.
If the 2026 Census is implemented, southern states would lose even more seats. This is because these states have effectively controlled population growth through family planning, leading to lower population increases and, consequently, fewer seats under population-based allocation.
Jagan concluded that, irrespective of census-based calculations, approving the Centre’s proposed 50% increase in seats is the most advantageous option for southern states.

Opposing parties should seriously question themselves; what have they achieved ?

While the reality is that the numbers would come down for the south and women reservation bill has been postponed ! Justice is rendered neither to the south nor the women! If 2026 census were to… pic.twitter.com/RgRYPR42gx
— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) April 17, 2026