Bengaluru – Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly criticized Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue of delimitation, calling it a “weapon to silence southern states.” He also expressed distrust in Shah’s assurances that the southern states would not lose a single parliamentary seat due to the process.
Siddaramaiah’s remarks come after Amit Shah stated that the delimitation exercise would not impact the number of seats in southern states. However, the Karnataka CM dismissed these claims, suggesting that the move could politically disadvantage states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which contribute significantly to India’s economy but have lower population growth compared to northern states.
The debate over delimitation has sparked concerns among southern leaders, who fear it could reduce their political influence while benefiting states with higher population growth. Siddaramaiah reiterated that any attempt to undermine southern representation would be met with strong opposition.
With tensions rising over the issue, political experts believe this could further deepen the North-South divide in Indian politics. The opposition has vowed to resist any move that disproportionately affects southern states in the name of electoral restructuring.