New Delhi, June 15 -- As India approaches the long-postponed exercise of delimitation after 2026, an uncomfortable constitutional and political truth has begun surfacing with increasing force: should states that succeeded in population control, education, and governance be punished with diminished political influence?

For the southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana, this is not merely an administrative issue. It is a question of federal fairness and constitutional morality.

India froze the redistribution of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment during the Emergency, later extended by the 84th Amendment till after the first Census post-2026. The rationale was ...