Southern CMs oppose delimitation push, seek wider consultations; Vijayan calls for bill to be dropped

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said they would step up their campaign against the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, warning that it could adversely impact the political interests of southern states.

While Siddaramaiah and Reddy are from the Congress, Vijayan represents the CPI(M), with all three aligned under the opposition INDIA bloc.

In a letter to Siddaramaiah, Reddy described the issue as one of “grave significance to South India”, calling for a united stand to safeguard the region’s political representation. Siddaramaiah, in his response, concurred, noting that any exercise altering representation must be undertaken with “utmost care”.


“The Union government must engage all states in a transparent and consultative process, ensuring fairness, federal balance and consensus,” Siddaramaiah said.

Vijayan, in a post on X, said the draft Delimitation Bill, 2026 indicates that the BJP-led Centre may proceed without adequately factoring in states’ current population shares relative to their representation in the Lok Sabha.

He argued that such an approach would be “highly unjust”, penalising states like Kerala that have effectively implemented population control policies, while potentially rewarding those that have lagged.

The Kerala Chief Minister also alleged that linking delimitation with the implementation of women’s reservation could be a strategy to advance broader political objectives. He questioned the timing of the move, noting that it coincides with ongoing election processes in several states and a Union Territory.

Calling for the bill to be withdrawn, Vijayan said women’s reservation in Parliament and state assemblies should be implemented independently, without being tied to delimitation or census exercises.

The three leaders underscored the need for wider consultations before any decision, signalling a coordinated pushback from southern states against the Centre’s proposal.