Delimitation and Its Impacts on Southern States
The southern States of India face disadvantages due to effective policies in reducing population growth, health, and education improvements. This scenario has led to reduced allocations from the Finance Commission (FC) as population size heavily influences the redistribution of Union tax revenue.
Implications of Current Delimitation Proposals
- The Finance Commission has reduced allocations to the southern States due to their lower population growth.
- The gap in absolute number of Lok Sabha seats is expected to widen by the 2029 elections, affecting political and fiscal power in southern States.
- The 84th Constitutional Amendment has frozen the number of seats until after the 2026 census, which could negatively impact southern States that have successfully controlled their population growth.
Possible Solutions to Address Unfair Outcomes
- Increase Total Lok Sabha Seats: Retaining current proportional distribution based on the 2011 Census could lead to a Lok Sabha with approximately 866 members.
- Equal Representation in Rajya Sabha: Introducing equality among States in the Rajya Sabha could be beneficial, but may face opposition from the ruling party.
- Increase Vidhan Sabha Seats: Adjusting representation per 1,000 population at the State level could enhance representation but may be resisted by the ruling party.
- Change in Seat Allocation Ratios: Allocating 60% seats based on population size and 40% on efforts to reduce population growth could assist States with effective population control.
Principles for Fair Representation
The Degressive Proportionality principle, similar to the European Parliament, is suggested for fair representation. This principle balances population size with state equality, ensuring larger states do not dominate smaller ones in representation.
Financial Commission's Criteria
- Income Distance: States with lower income receive higher transfers.
- Population Size: Reflects the expenditure needs of States.
- Demographic Performance: Rewards successful reduction in fertility rates.
- Tax Effort: Encourages responsible financial management by rewarding effective tax revenue mobilization.
The southern States need to collaborate on the Degressive Proportionality principle and build consensus before the Delimitation Commission is constituted to ensure fair representation and allocation of resources.
