Delimitation to impact Punjab's voice in Parliament: Bajwa

Calls all state parties to jointly discuss the matter, and, if need be, strongly oppose it

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, Updated At : 07:01 AM Mar 08, 2025 IST

Partap Bajwa. File photo

Expressing concern about the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies due in 2026, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Friday called on the leaders of all political parties in the state to put their heads together to discuss the pros and cons of the same and, if need be, strongly oppose it jointly.

"Delimitation would not only result in severe consequences for the southern states, but also impact the northern states. Since we belong to Punjab, leaders of all political parties of Punjab should come to a single platform to figure out what we could do about it," Bajwa said.

The senior Congress leader said the Lok Sabha has 543 MPs now and after delimitation, the number of MPs might rise to approximately 848. Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha seats now and it would increase to around 18. However, the parliamentary representations of Punjab would be reduced percentage-wise, which would further marginalise the state. On the other hand, the overpopulated states like Maharashtra, Utter Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Chhatisgarh will have more seat percentage. These states will have around 450 seats collectively, and the BJP already has a stronghold in these states.

"Punjab is a unique state, which is dominated by the minority community (Sikhs) in India. Besides, the BJP has almost no political significance in Punjab. Considering the factors mentioned above, the BJP-led Union Government has every reason to continue with delimitation with the existing method," he said.

Cautioning all parties in the state, Bajwa said Punjab would not be able to robustly defend its political and economic interests if it lost its political representation in Parliament. Punjab's strength to fight for its rights and interests would suffer vehemently.

"The border state Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha MPs at the moment. Still, it has been neglected by the BJP-led Union government. Imagine the state of affairs is going to be after the Punjab lost its representation further," Bajwa added.