Following a heated verbal exchange during the campaign phase of the Kerala Assembly elections, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday reached out to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking his support against the Centre’s proposed changes to parliamentary representation.

The Central government on Tuesday proposed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in an attempt to operationalise 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by increasing the strength of the Lower House from 543 to up to 850. However, the move would also lead to a recalibration of representation across states, triggering backlash, particularly from southern states.

In his letter, Reddy pointed out that the move would widen the existing gap in representation between states, disproportionately affecting southern states.

“For instance, Kerala currently has 20 Lok Sabha seats, while Uttar Pradesh has 80 seats, a gap of 60 seats. Under the proposed model, Kerala will increase from 20 to 30 seats, whereas Uttar Pradesh will increase to 120 seats. This expands the political gap from 60 seats to 90 seats, thereby structurally widening the imbalance in representation,” the letter reads.

He added that this would, in effect, mean that the “voice” and “influence” of the state in Parliament would relatively diminish even as its contribution to the country grows.

Reddy also pointed out that southern states have invested significantly in population stabilisation, public health, education and economic development, all of which contribute to India’s growth. He argued that the proposed move diminishes these achievements and results in a “systemic dilution” of the southern states’ political voice.

He further highlighted what he described as imbalances in financial devolution from the Centre. “Bihar receives over ₹6.69 for every rupee it contributes, while Kerala receives only 60 paisa,” he said. According to Reddy, the proposed move would add political injustice to the financial injustice that states like Kerala already face.

He also alleged that the Centre has deliberately mixed three different issues, women’s reservation, national delimitation, and the increase in Lok Sabha seats, in an attempt to confuse the public.

Reddy clarified that he supports the implementation of women’s reservation without linking it to an increase in seats, or delimitation that only redraws constituency boundaries without altering the total number of seats.

Leaders of several non-BJP-ruled states have voiced strong opposition to the proposed bill, warning that it could disproportionately enhance the political power of northern states while diminishing the representation of the South in Parliament.

Reddy has also written similar letters to chief ministers of other southern states, seeking their support and flagging the potential impact of the proposal on their respective states.

Reddy on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing similar concerns. In the letter, he argued that states which have successfully controlled population growth and invested in education and human development risk being penalised under the proposed framework.

He also pointed out that southern states already receive a lower share of central taxes relative to their contribution, while states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar receive a higher share.

Meanwhile, M K Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, warned of massive agitations that could bring the state to a standstill if the proposed delimitation process undermines Tamil Nadu’s interests or disproportionately enhances the political power of northern states.