Hyderabad: In a setback to Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh, the Centre has decided to take up the delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the Telugu states following the first Census after 2026.
Both Telugu states were putting pressure on the Centre to begin the delimitation exercise as assured in the AP Reorganisation Act in time for the elections in 2024. It now appears that the delimitation will be set back by another decade.
The bifurcation Act says, “Subject to the provisions contained in Article 170 of the Constitution and without prejudice to Section 15 in this Act the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the successor state of AP and Telangana shall be increased from 175 and 119 to 225 and 153 respectively and delimitation of the constituencies may be determined by the Election Commission..”
The TRS government in Telangana state and in AP the previous TD government and the incumbent YSRC government pressurised the Centre to delimit the constituencies. Telangana state would have got 34 more Assembly seats and Andhra Pradesh 50 if this was done. It would help the political parties, particularly the ruling parties, to accommodate more leaders when nominating candidates for the elections.
The Centre wants to take up the delimitation in the Telugu states along with the rest of the country after 2026. The Centre had amended the Act in 2002 not to have any delimitation till the first census after 2026. Thus the present constituencies shall continue to be in operation till the first census — in 2031 — after 2026.
The next Assembly elections in Telangana state and AP will be held with the existing number of Assembly constituencies. Sources said that the Centre had informed YSRC leaders that the delimitation in the Telugu states will be done only after the first census of 2026 along with other states.
The Centre opined when a date has been specified in the Constitution, there is no necessity to take up this exercise in Telugu states early.
Moreover the Centre is considering increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats in the country. If a final decision is taken on the matter by the Centre on this issue, the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies will also take place along with that of Assembly segments “in the first census after 2026.”
