Chief Minister Siddaramaiah
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that southern states that have stabilized their population would not lose Lok Sabha seats during the campaign in Kerala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the remark did not come across as statesmanship and more like an election-driven message.
He said the Prime Minister’s statement appears to be well timed with political considerations in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
In a post on X, Mr Siddaramaiah said: “Let’s be clear: the issue has never been whether the number of Lok Sabha seats in southern states is increasing. It’s how they are increasing – and who is benefiting disproportionately.”
He argued that under the proposed delimitation, while all states may gain seats, the scale of increase appears to favor BJP-dominated states. According to him, Uttar Pradesh could go up from 80 to 120 seats, Maharashtra from 48 to 72, Bihar from 40 to 60, Madhya Pradesh from 29 to 43-44, Rajasthan from 25 to 37-38 and Gujarat from 26 to 39.
In contrast, he said the southern states will see a relatively smaller increase: Karnataka from 28 to 42, Tamil Nadu from 39 to 58-59, Andhra Pradesh from 25 to 37-38, Telangana from 17 to 25-26 and Kerala from 20 to 30.
“The five southern states together get barely 63-66 more seats, while these seven BJP-ruled states get about 128-131 seats – almost double,” he claimed.
Even if the Lok Sabha expands to 816 seats, the collective share of southern states would remain around 24%, unchanged and already modest, he said, adding that states that have done better in population control and governance have been penalized.
Warning that the delimitation exercise could deepen regional imbalances, Mr Siddaramaiah said the gap between Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka would widen from 52 to 78 seats, while Maharashtra’s lead over Karnataka would increase from 20 to 30 seats. “It’s not just expansion, it’s concentration of power,” he said.
“The people of Karnataka and all those who believe in federalism deserve justice, respect and transparency. We will strongly oppose any attempt to dilute our voice,” he added.
Published – 06 Apr 2026 0:54 IST
