Bajwa calls on all parties to discuss delimitation, warns of Punjab's enfeeblement

Chandigarh, Mar 7 (PTI) Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday called on leaders of all the political parties in the state to discuss the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies due in 2026, and weigh its consequences.

"It is not only the southern states that would face the severe consequences but the sword of delimitation is also hanging over the northern states. Since we belong to Punjab, the leaders of all the political parties of Punjab should come to a single platform to figure out what we could do about it," Bajwa, the leader of opposition in Punjab Assembly, said.

The Congress leader in a statement said the Lok Sabha has 543 MPs at present, and after the delimitation, the number of MPs may rise to around 848.

"Punjab has 13 Lok Sabha seats now and it will increase to around 18. However, the parliamentary representations of Punjab will be reduced percentage-wise, which would further marginalize Punjab.

"On the other hand, the overpopulated states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh will have more seat percentage. These states will have around 450 seats collectively, and the BJP already has a stronghold in these states," pointed out Bajwa.

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

Cautioning all the political parties of Punjab, Bajwa said Punjab would not be able to defend its political and economic interests if it lost its political representation in Parliament.

"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 Punjab loses its representation further," Bajwa alleged.

The Qadian MLA said that continuous attempts were being made to "sabotage" Punjab's claim on its capital and river waters.

"Conspiracies are on to destroy the economy of Punjab, and the paddy procurement crisis of 2024 is a recent example of the same. Moreover, Punjab's pending rural development fund of Rs 8,000 crore has yet to be released," he said. PTI CHS VN VN

Source: PTI