BJD opposes population-based criterion to determine States’ representation in Parliament

Former Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik speaks via video conferencing during the first Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting of States over the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary seats by the Centre, in Chennai, on March 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Biju Janata Dal on Saturday (March 22, 2025) strongly opposed using population as the sole criterion for determining States’ representation in the Parliament.

Addressing the joint action committee meeting on delimitation convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin in Chennai through video conferencing, BJD supremo and former five time CM of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik said, “Odisha has done well, successfully reducing its fertility rates over the years. If projected population figures of 2026 are taken, we will end up losing seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly.”

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“State like Odisha which has reduced their population growth rates after years of persistent efforts, should not be disincentivised, especially as they have performed well on a national priority. Hence it is our stand that population should not be the only criteria to determine number of seats in the highest representative body of our country,” Mr. Patnaik said.

While the former Odisha Chief Minister joined the meeting through video conferencing, former BJD Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik and former minister Sanjay Dasburma are physically participating in the deliberation.

Stating that this is an important meeting to ensure democratic representation and rights of people living in States that have done very well to control and stabilise population, BJD president said, “population control is an important national agenda for development of our country. A national agenda was decentralised into State interventions and throughout the years the Union Government gave high priority towards this.”

“States also took their own initiatives and joined in successfully implementing this national agenda and the States of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Odisha have been very successful in this regard. In case these States had not achieved what they did in stabilising population, India would have had a population explosion today derailing our developmental progress,” he pointed out.

In this screengrab from a video posted by @TNDIPR21 via Youtube on March 22, 2025, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin addresses the joint action committee meeting on the issue of Lok Sabha constituency delimitation, in Chennai. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy are also seen.
| Photo Credit:
PTI/@TNDIPR21

“While this has been our contribution towards a positive national agenda, towards building a strong India, delimitation based only on population figures will be unfair to the states who have worked hard to reduce their population growth rates in line with national priorities,” said Mr. Patnaik

Former Odisha CM exhorted the Union Government to take up a detailed discussion with all the Parties so as to remove any doubts on this very important issue that has far reaching implications for our democracy. The BJD will do everything to protect the interests of the people of Odisha, he averred.