Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy urged a national consensus delimitation approach in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for broader agreement on increasing Lok Sabha seats.
In an open letter issued on Tuesday, Revanth Reddy proposed a hybrid model for seat expansion. He also called for immediate implementation of women’s reservation without linking it to any increase in legislative seats.
He clarified that women’s reservation, delimitation, and expansion of Lok Sabha seats were separate issues. Therefore, he said they should not be treated as interconnected. He reaffirmed the Congress party’s support for 33 percent reservation for women. He also urged that it be implemented within the existing 543 seats in Parliament and state assemblies.
National consensus delimitation and federal balance concerns
The Chief Minister raised concerns over proposals to increase Lok Sabha seats purely based on population. He warned that such a move could disturb the federal balance. Moreover, he said it could reduce political representation for southern states.
He highlighted that Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala contributed significantly to population stability. He added that these states also performed strongly in economic growth and human development. However, he noted that they already faced financial disparities in resource distribution.
He said a population-based model could further disadvantage these states politically. Therefore, he stressed the need for a national consensus delimitation framework that addressed these concerns.
National consensus delimitation and hybrid model proposal
As an alternative, Revanth Reddy proposed a hybrid model for seat allocation. Under this system, he suggested that some seats be distributed based on population. The remaining seats, he said, should be allocated using economic indicators such as Gross State Domestic Product.
He argued that this approach would ensure balanced representation. At the same time, it would avoid penalising states that had achieved population control and economic progress.
The Chief Minister recalled that earlier governments had deferred delimitation decisions. He said those steps were taken to preserve national unity and prevent regional imbalances. Therefore, he urged that any decision now be made cautiously and through consensus.
Revanth Reddy described the issue as one of equity, fairness and national integrity. He also called on the Prime Minister to convene an all-party meeting. He said such discussions should be transparent and inclusive.
Revanth Reddy stressed that decisions of this scale must promote unity among states. He added that they should reflect the aspirations of all regions rather than deepen divisions.
He also wrote to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Puducherry. In those letters, he sought their support for building a national consensus delimitation approach.
Dear Shri @narendramodi Ji
I am writing this open letter to you in response to the latest proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850.#LokSabhaDelimitation pic.twitter.com/4M566g78kU
— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) April 14, 2026