Siddaramaiah slams Amit Shah's delimitation claims, calls them untrustworthy

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah warned that the Centre's delimitation plan could severely reduce southern states' representation. He called for fairness, unity, and a coordinated fight against political marginalisation.

In Short

• Siddaramaiah questions the claim that delimitation won’t unfairly impact southern states
• Karnataka Chief Minister argues that southern states’ population control was being punished
• Says North gains, while South Loses as representation imbalance favours BJP strongholds.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a statement, strongly criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks on delimitation, calling it “not trustworthy” and “aimed at creating confusion in the southern states.”

Siddaramaiah strongly countered Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim that southern states won’t be treated unfairly in the upcoming delimitation process. “It seems that either he lacks proper information or there is a deliberate intent to disadvantage the southern states, including Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh,” the Chief Minister said in the statement.

“Shah’s claim—that southern states would not face unfair treatment in the delimitation process—appears to either stem from a lack of accurate information or, more worryingly, a deliberate attempt to undermine states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

In the statement released by his office on Thursday, he asked the Home Minister to clarify whether the delimitation process will be based on the most recent population figures, or whether it will follow the current allocation of Lok Sabha seats.

REPRESENTATION V POPULATION CONTROL

According to Siddaramaiah, the southern states have excelled in population control while driving economic growth, unlike northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh.

However, if Lok Sabha seats are allocated based on recent census data (2021 or 2031), the south stands to lose significant representation:

Projected Seat Losses (South)

• Karnataka: 28 - 26
• Andhra Pradesh: 42 - 34
• Kerala: 20 - 12
• Tamil Nadu: 39 - 31

Projected Seat Gains (North)

• Uttar Pradesh: 80 - 91
• Bihar: 40 - 50
• Madhya Pradesh: 29 - 33

The statement asked: “As a result, if Delimitation is based on the latest census, southern states, including Karnataka, may see a reduction or stagnation in their number of Lok Sabha seats, while northern states will gain more seats. In either scenario, the southern states will bear the loss. Is the Home Minister unaware of this?”

DEMAND FOR FAIRNESS

Siddaramaiah urged the Centre to either retain the 1971 census as the basis for seat allocation or expand the total number of Lok Sabha seats to prevent the south’s share from shrinking.

He also accused the Modi government of using delimitation as a tool to weaken southern states, much like its unfair tax policies, GST allocations, and denial of disaster relief.

“However, looking at the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by Narendra Modi’s Union Government for Delimitation, it appears that the real intent is to punish the people of the southern states for resisting his party’s dominance,” the statement read.

Siddaramaiah reminded the public of BJP president JP Nadda’s warning during the Karnataka Assembly elections, where he threatened the state with a lack of support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi unless the state backed the BJP.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the central government’s imposition of the National Education Policy (NEP), as part of this broader strategy.

A CALL FOR UNITY

He also slammed the BJP and ally Janata Dal (Secular) MPs from the state for their silence on the issue.

“Despite witnessing these repeated injustices, 17 BJP MPs and 2 JD(S) MPs elected from Karnataka to the Lok Sabha have remained silent like slaves. Meanwhile, BJP leaders in the state are too busy engaging in petty internal conflicts and mudslinging,” he said.

Siddaramaiah urged Kannadigas to set aside caste, religion, and party differences in the fight against the injustices being imposed by the central government.

“Discussions are already underway with neighbouring southern states to wage a comprehensive fight against these injustices. In the coming days, a coordinated movement will be launched in collaboration with all affected states,” he said in the statement.