Away from South, Punjab Congress raises delimitation concerns, from overall share to that vis-a-vis Haryana

Before Bajwa, Congress Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari said: “If delimitation is held in accordance with the current principle of one citizen, one vote and one value, even the northern states would lose out as their percentage of the total strength of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will go down.”

According to Tewari, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Punjab in a delimitation based on solely population would be 18, against 13 right now. “However… as a proportion of the overall strength of Parliament, both states (Haryana and Punjab) would lose. In any case, they are marginalised and would further become inconsequential,” he said. The only gainer would be central India, he said, adding that there could be tension between Haryana and Punjab as well. “Would Punjab accept parity with Haryana in the number of (Lok Sabha) seats?” he said, calling for “a new formula”. Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha seats in the current Parliament.

Haryana has a higher population growth compared to Punjab, with one reason believed to be the migration from other states to the National Capital Region (NCR), a large part of which falls in Haryana.

Punjab has traditionally seen Haryana as its “younger brother”, as it was carved out of Punjab in 1966. The two states have long-standing political issues related to their joint capital Chandigarh as well as the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal.

Bajwa said that if the number of parliamentary seats are increased to around 848, as per one formula, the increase in Punjab’s share will be marginal compared to “high-population states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh”.

“The BJP already has a stronghold in these states,” the Congress leader underlined, adding that Punjab holds a unique position as the only Sikh-dominaed state and among the few northern ones where the BJP has not managed to make inroads on its own still. “Thus the BJP has every reason to continue with the existing formula of delimitation,” Bajwa said.

He also linked it to, what he called, “the continuous attempts being made to sabotage Punjab’s claim on its capital and rivers” under the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. “Conspiracies are being hatched to destroy Punjab’s economy with last year’s paddy procurement crisis being an example,” he said.

Playing down the apprehensions expressed by Congress leaders, the media head of the Punjab BJP, Vineet Joshi, said delimitation was a Constitutional mandate and its process has been laid down in the Constitution. “The process of delimitation of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Assembly seats took place in 1951, 1961 and 1971 during Congress rule. It was based on the Census. Was that exercise wrong? If not, why are Congress leaders scared now?” he said.

In neighbouring Haryana, the Congress has not come out against delimitation based on population so far, with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda saying it was too early as the process for delimitation has far from started. “First, the issue will be moved in Parliament and then a Delimitation Commission will be constituted. It is a long process and can happen only after the Census,” Hooda noted.

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan suggested that that an all-party meeting be convened at the national level “to take everyone into confidence” before initiating the process of delimitation, while former six-time Congress MLA Sampat Singh said all factors including geographical boundaries, conditions as well as population must be taken into account.

Like in Punjab, BJP leaders in Haryana dismissed Congress fears as “overreaction” to the issue. “There are fixed criteria for delimitation. Why are Congress leaders fearful? If there is an increase in the number of seats, the Congress as well as BJP have to contest polls. Similarly, other parties too will field their candidates. How is the delimitation going to make a difference?” Haryana BJP spokesperson Sanjay Sharma argued.

Sharma also said that no formal discussions have happened over delimitation. “I do not know why they are raising these issues. The seats of the Lok Sabha belong to the federal system of the country,” he added.