Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has called for a fair and inclusive approach to the delimitation process, opposing the use of population as the sole criterion for determining parliamentary and state assembly seats.
Patnaik emphasized that states like Odisha, which have successfully controlled population growth in line with national priorities, should not be penalized in the upcoming delimitation exercise.
Virtually addressing the meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of southern and eastern states in Chennai, Patnaik urged the Union government to engage in detailed discussions with all political parties to address concerns over the delimitation process. “Our stand is that population should not be the only criterion to determine the number of seats in the highest representative body of our country,” he said. “This issue has far-reaching implications for our democracy and requires careful consideration.”
Patnaik highlighted Odisha’s achievements in reducing fertility rates and stabilizing population growth.
“If projected population figures of 2026 are taken, we will end up losing seats in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly,” he warned. He argued that states like Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Punjab, which have made significant strides in population control, should not be disincentivized.
“Delimitation based only on population figures will be unfair to the states that have worked hard to reduce their population growth rates in line with national priorities,” he added.
The BJD president underscored the importance of population control as a national agenda for India’s development. “This has been our contribution towards building a strong India. Had these states not achieved population stabilization, India would have faced a population explosion, derailing our developmental progress,” he said.
To represent Odisha at the Chennai meeting, Patnaik deputed former minister Sanjay Das Burma and former MP Amar Patnaik.
