Jagan urges protection of southern states' parliamentary representation

YSR Congress party leader Jagan Mohan Reddy did not attend a meeting in Chennai about the delimitation process, which is the redrawing of parliamentary boundaries. Instead, he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express concerns about how this might affect southern states. In his letter, Jagan highlighted that southern states have seen a decline in their population share since 1971. He believes this trend could continue and lead to a loss of representation in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Jagan asked the Prime Minister to ensure that no state sees a reduction in its seats during the upcoming delimitation. The all-party meeting was organized by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, but Jagan and other local leaders chose not to attend. This decision was made to avoid upsetting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while trying to maintain a neutral stance between the BJP and Congress. Jagan also pointed to a constitutional article that mandates equal representation based on population. He urged the Prime Minister to consider amending this to prevent any state from losing seats in Parliament. He stressed that this issue is critical for preserving social and political harmony in the country.