The first all-party meeting on the delimitation of constituencies was held in Hyderabad on Monday. However, the main opposition parties, BRS and BJP, chose to boycott the meeting. The discussion focused on opposing the Central government’s delimitation process, which many believe would be unfair to South India.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy led the meeting. They gathered opinions from leaders of Congress, CPI, CPM, AIMIM, and the Republican Party of India, who were present.
Bhatti stated that more meetings would be held in the coming days to develop a strategy against the Centre’s delimitation plan, especially concerning Telangana. The leaders at the meeting agreed that a strong and prolonged fight was necessary to protect the interests of the southern states.
AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi suggested that the Telangana Legislative Assembly should pass a unanimous resolution opposing the delimitation based on population and send it to the Centre. Senior leader Jana Reddy emphasized that the current policy should continue for some time to avoid unrest in the country.
State government advisor K Keshava Rao proposed that the delimitation process should be postponed until a scientific decision is made. CPI MLA K Sambasiva Rao and CPM State Secretary John Wesley argued that the number of seats in southern states should be increased in proportion to the seats in northern states.
The leaders present at the meeting described it as a preliminary discussion. They emphasized the need for further meetings and detailed discussions on the issue. They also stated that political parties were ready to follow any decision taken by the all-party committee in opposition to the delimitation process.
