Hyderabad: With the Union govt looking to introduce two bills in the current session of Parliament for delimitation of constituencies and to roll out reservation for women, speculation is growing around a possible rise in the number of assembly and Lok Sabha seats in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.If the govt has its way, the number of assembly seats in Telangana will increase by 50% to 179 from the existing 119 , and the Lok Sabha seats will go up to 26 from the current 17. Andhra Pradesh might see an increase in assembly seats to 263 from 175 and LS seats from 25 to 38.Such a move would significantly reshape the electoral landscape of Telugu states ahead of the 2029 general elections, aver political analysts.This delimitation move would also change the majority mark required to form govts in both states. In Telangana it would increase to 90 from the existing 60, while in Andhra Pradesh it would rise to 132 from the current figure of 88. Reports suggest Union home minster Amit Shah on Monday night sounded out the NDA partners about the govt plans to increase assembly and LS seats in the country.Despite the buzz, Telangana BJP leaders have cautioned against drawing firm conclusions, emphasising that no final numbers have been decided. They indicate that some frameworks are under consideration. Additionally, after the upcoming Census, a ‘north-south formula’ might be applied within the state. Under such a system, districts like Adilabad in the northern part of Telangana could serve as a reference point, with constituencies potentially structured around an average of 1.5 lakh voters each. This would mean areas around Hyderabad could see considerable increase in assembly seats. Yet, it’s difficult to predict exact numbers at this stage.In addition, there is discussion around revising the linkage between assembly and LS constituencies in Telangana. At present, each Lok Sabha segment comprises seven assembly seats, but proposals suggest this number could jump to nine.
