Congress, BRS, SAD back Mar 22 delimitation meet

The ruling Congress in the south Indian states of Telangana and Karnataka, as well as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday extended their support to the DMK over its opposition to the proposed delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, and agreed in-principle to attending a meeting on the issue called by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.

- HT Correspondents

Earlier this month, Stalin had sent letters to 29 parties in seven states — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab — and invited them to the meeting scheduled on March 22 in Chennai, to form a joint action committee against the delimitation exercise, which the DMK chief claimed was a sword hanging over south India.

Though several southern states have raised apprehension that the proposed delimitation exercise, scheduled to be held in 2026 after the completion of much-delayed decadal census, will reduce their representation in the Lok Sabha as compared to their northern counterparts such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Union home minister Amit Shah said that the southern states, including Tamil Nadu, will not lose a single parliamentary seat on account of delimitation.

"I welcome Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin's stand. I have to get permission from the Congress high command to attend the meeting. In-principle, I have agreed to attend," Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy told reporters in Delhi, after a DMK delegation led by Tamil Nadu minister TK Nehru met him and invited him to the Chennai meeting.