Delimitation threatens India’s unity and federal balance

Source: The post Delimitation threatens India’s unity and federal balance has been created, based on the article “Delimitation debate: Let the current distribution of Lok Sabha be cast in stone” published in “Indian Express” on 11th March 2025. Delimitation threatens India’s unity and federal balance.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper2-Polity-issues and challenges pertaining

to the federal structure

Context: The article argues against delimitation, which would change the number of parliamentary seats based on population. It warns that this could increase political dominance by Hindi-speaking states, weaken national unity, and create new divisions. It suggests permanently freezing seat allocation to maintain balance.

For detailed information on Delimitation Exercise in India: Balancing Democracy and Federalism read this article here

What is the main issue with delimitation?

1. Unequal Representation: A voter in Kerala represents 18 lakh people, while a voter in Uttar Pradesh represents 32 lakh people. This creates an imbalance in vote value.
2. Loss of Seats for Southern States: Tamil Nadu (-8), Kerala (-8), Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (-8), Karnataka (-2). This weakens their political influence.
3. Increase in Hindi Belt Seats: Uttar Pradesh (+11), Bihar (+10), Rajasthan (+6), Madhya Pradesh (+4). This gives northern states more power.
4. Threat to Federal Balance: The Hindi heartland would gain 259 seats, nearly a majority in the Lok Sabha, weakening the influence of southern and eastern states.
5. Risk of Deepening Divisions: Delimitation could reinforce existing cultural, economic, and political fault lines between the north and south.
6. Federal Contract Argument: Some argue that India’s unity is based on an implicit agreement, ensuring no region dominates others.

Why was seat allocation frozen in the first place?

1. The Indian Constitution originally supported “one person, one vote, one value.”
2. However, a freeze was introduced to prevent states that controlled population growth from losing seats. This was based on fairness.
3. Some small states, like Goa and Arunachal Pradesh, already receive more seats than their population size justifies. This is called “asymmetrical federalism.”

Why do some states oppose delimitation?

1. The opposition is not just about population control. It is also about national unity. India has three major regional fault lines:

• Cultural fault line: Hindi-speaking states vs. non-Hindi states.
• Economic fault line: South and West India are wealthier than North and East India.
• Political fault line: The BJP dominates the North but faces resistance in the South.

2. Delimitation would increase the Hindi heartland’s Lok Sabha seats to 259 out of 543, weakening the South (currently 132 seats) and removing its power to veto constitutional amendments.

What is the proposed solution?

1. Permanent Freeze on Delimitation: The proposed solution is to permanently freeze the current allocation of parliamentary seats. This approach aims to avoid the redistribution of seats based on population changes.
2. It proposes a federal contract where:

• Representation is not based only on population.
• Revenue-sharing between states is not based only on tax contributions.

3. This balance would respect India’s “unity in diversity” and prevent regional tensions.

Question for practice:

Discuss the reasons why some states oppose delimitation and its potential impact on national unity.