Pioneering Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Warns Against Punishing States That Control Population Growth
BJD President Warns Against Using Population as Sole Criteria for Delimitation
In a virtual meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on delimitation, Naveen Patnaik, the president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and former chief minister of Odisha, expressed reservations about using the 2026 population projections to determine the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Patnaik urged that population alone should not be the sole criteria for delimitation, as it would be unfair to states that have made significant efforts to control population growth.
According to Patnaik, Odisha has successfully stabilized its population growth rate, and taking the 2026 projection into consideration would result in a loss of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assembly. The state currently has 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 seats in the state assembly. Patnaik claimed that states like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Punjab have also achieved success in stabilizing population growth, and delimitation based solely on population figures would be unfair to these states.
Patnaik attributed the states’ success to their consistent efforts in population control, stating that if these states had not worked to stabilize population growth, India would have faced an unpredictable explosion, hindering national development. He emphasized that states have played a crucial role in implementing the national agenda of population control and should not be penalized for their achievements. The former Odisha chief minister highlighted the five states’ contributions to reducing the population growth rate, ensuring a positive impact on national development.
The BJD president appealed to the Union government to engage in a detailed discussion with all parties to address concerns about delimitation, as it has significant implications for the Indian democracy. Patnaik feels that population control is a crucial national agenda, and a collaborative approach is necessary to ensure a fair and transparent delimitation process. Although the BJD has traditionally maintained distance from opposition allies, Patnaik thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin for organizing the JAC meeting, which he believes is crucial for ensuring democratic representation and protecting the interests of Odisha’s people.
The BJD has sent two senior leaders, Amar Patnaik and Sanjay Das Burma, to represent the party in the JAC meeting, stressing its commitment to upholding the rights and interests of Odisha’s citizens. The party, which ruled the state for 24 consecutive years before losing to the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) in 2022, is determined to protect the state’s interests in the delimitation process.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/naveen-patnaik-jac-states-delimitation-population-9900015/
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Publish Date: 2025-03-22 14:57:00
