BJP slams Revanth’s hybrid model, says delimitation based on population alone

Hyderabad: A day after chief minister A Revanth Reddy proposed a hybrid model for delimitation to ensure equitable representation among states, BJP state president N Ramchander Rao on Tuesday asserted that delimitation has always been based on population, not Gross State Domestic Product.He questioned the chief minister's stand, asking whether development should then be restricted only to constituencies with higher per capita income. "Kodangal has the least per capita. Should it be left out of development? He should then be only concentrating on Rangareddy, Medchal and Hyderabad, which have the highest per capita," he said. Taking a dig at the CM for allegedly spreading misinformation that delimitation would harm southern states, Rao said the Congress was opposing the exercise out of fear of electoral losses. He argued that disparities in parliamentary representation existed even under previous Congress regimes, citing the example of Tamil Nadu having 39 Lok Sabha seats compared to 28 in Karnataka despite population differences. He further said the Congress should not link the women's reservation bill with delimitation, adding that the process would be carried out separately. Rao also claimed that the Telangana CM's remarks contradict the position of Rahul Gandhi on the issue. Criticising the Congress, Rao termed it a family-run party and said it cannot claim to promote women leaders by citing figures like Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. He highlighted BJP leaders such as Sushma Swaraj, Nirmala Sitharaman and Vasundhara Raje as examples of broader representation.