The Telangana Congress government has announced plans to convene an all-party meeting on the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, citing concerns that the state may face injustice in the process.
After a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of using delimitation as a tool to discriminate against South India. He argued that the number of constituencies in southern states must increase proportionally to any rise in the north.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and senior Congress leader K. Jana Reddy will lead the all-party meeting, though no specific date has been announced. The decision follows Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s similar move, indicating growing concerns among southern states over the Centre’s delimitation plans.
In a politically charged move, the Cabinet also approved a draft bill to increase Backward Classes (BC) reservations from 23% to 42%, fulfilling a key Congress poll promise. This comes after the state conducted a caste survey, a commitment made by Rahul Gandhi ahead of the elections. The government has also decided to introduce legislation on Scheduled Caste (SC) categorization, rejecting a judicial commission’s recommendation to exclude the creamy layer from reservations.
Beyond politics, Telangana is gearing up to host the Miss World pageant from May 7-31, with the Cabinet ensuring top-tier arrangements for guests from over 140 countries. Meanwhile, the government has announced a governing board for the Yadadri temple, modeled after the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
As Telangana’s Congress-led government locks horns with the BJP at the Centre, the delimitation debate, reservation policies, and high-profile global events are set to dominate the political landscape in the coming months.
