One man, one vote; one vote, one value. A simple idea—fair and democratic. However, this logic creates an imbalance in the federal set up. The Indian Constitution originally mandated periodic delimitation—the redrawing of constituency boundaries to reflect population shifts. In 1976, Indira Gandhi made a choice to freeze delimitation as per the populations ascertained by the 1971 census. Population control was a priority. The southern states performed admirably. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka embraced family planning. Fertility rates dropped. The North, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, lagged behind.
Now, as the freeze ends in 2026, the South feels it is paying an unconscionable price for its success in family planning. Is this democracy or a distortion of federal fairness? The North-South battle lines are drawn again. The divide is real. It is economic, cultural, and now, political.
Economically, the states in the South disproportionately drive national GDP, while the large Northern Indian states, which contain the bulk of the nation's population, suffer from the greatest rates of poverty. This imbalance persists despite decades of increasing tax collection from wealthier states (again broadly Southern) and subsequent redistribution to the poorer regions (largely Northern) by the Union Government.
As India stands at a crossroads, our next issue, Viksit South, looks at the fault lines of India's federal structure—how political representation, economic contribution, and governance are shaping a growing North-South divide.
In the issue, Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde argues that delimitation, if done mechanically, could fracture India라이브 바카라 federal fabric. If done wisely, it could strengthen democracy. He writes that we need a new formula—one that balances population with progress, that recognises not just numbers but also governance outcomes, and allocates seats based on a combination of factors: population, development indices, and fiscal contribution.
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya explores how the socio-political differences between India라이브 바카라 north and south may have reduced with decades of assimilation, but Hindu nationalist politics is reviving north-south conflict by undermining federalist principles. Chennai-based journalist Kavitha Muralidharan writes that delimitation will reduce Tamil Nadu, and by extension much of the South, to spectators in a democracy where they have long been equal stakeholders.
In recent times, the people of Tamil Nadu, the DMK government they elected, and their Chief Minister M.K. Stalin have taken the lead in advocating for the constitutional rights of South Indian states. One after another, southern states are joining the chorus.
Read these and more in the latest issue of 바카라.
