RLM Chief Upendra Kushwaha raises alarm over delimitation delay, calling it a ‘Black Spot’ of emergency-era legislation.
Patna, April 29, 2025: Rajya Sabha MP and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Tuesday launched a strong critique against the continued suspension of census-based delimitation, arguing that it has undermined democratic representation in states like Bihar and created severe electoral imbalances across the country.
Speaking at the conclusion of the two-day RLM session, where the party strategized for the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Kushwaha said that the failure to conduct regular population censuses and corresponding delimitation exercise had disproportionately harmed Bihar’s political voice.
“As per the Constitution, a census must be held every 10 years, and delimitation should follow to ensure fair representation based on population. This process was followed until 1971, but post-emergency, an unconstitutional decision was taken to halt it for 25 years through the 42nd Amendment. Another 25-year extension followed and now, no delimitation has occurred for 50 years,” said Kushwaha.
Upendra Kushwaha claimed amendment of the constitution during the emergency was a black spot of Indian history:
Upendra Kushwaha emphasized that this legislative freeze, initiated during the Emergency era in 1976, continues to have “deep-rooted effects” on Bihar and several other populous states.
“If fair delimitation had taken place, Bihar’s current 40 Lok Sabha seats could have increased to around 60. Similarly, the state assembly, now capped at 243 seats, would have expanded accordingly. But due to this ‘black law,’ we are grossly underrepresented,” Kushwaha added.
Delimitation’s halt deeply hurt every caste:
Highlighting the inequality in voter representation, he stated that in some states 10 lakh voters elect one MP, while in Bihar, more than 30 lakh voters elect a single MP severely diluting the power of individual votes.
“This violates the fundamental principles of democracy and equality enshrined in our Constitution. One vote does not carry the same weight across the country,” he argued.
Upendra Kushwaha also criticized the lack of national discussion on the issue, claiming that only a few southern MPs had raised the matter in Parliament.
“This is a subject that hasn’t been seriously discussed in the last 50 years. It’s time we bring this buried issue to the forefront,” he asserted, adding that RLM would take the matter to the public ahead of the 2025 state elections.
The Valmiki Nagar session also served as a platform to lay the groundwork for the party’s electoral preparations, with delimitation and voter awareness campaigns expected to form the crux of RLM’s upcoming political narrative.
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EOM.