Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 6 (ANI): Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Sunday said that the Delimitation Commission is a contentious and debatable issue over the delimitation exercise.
Speaking to ANI, Quraishi said, "The Delimitation Commission is a contentious issue, a debatable issue. The debate is going on, and I'm sure the Opposition and the government will find common ground and come to a solution as soon as possible."
Quraishi also questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding the scale of voter exclusions under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, taking a sharp dig at its stated objective of curbing illegal immigration.
"I would like to compliment the Election Commission for completing a very difficult mission of eliminating about 14–15 crore population of India through this exercise. I don't know how many illegal immigrants they have found, which was the main purpose of this exercise. It's a pity they have not disclosed this figure," Quraishi told ANI.
Criticising the transparency of the process, Quraishi urged the poll panel to make the data public to demonstrate what it considers an achievement.
"I would request them to please come out with this figure, so that we know what a great success you have been, and also that you have achieved something that the National Population Commission could not do. You have contributed a lot to population control by eliminating about 15% of India's population," he said.
This marks a continuation of Quraishi’s vocal opposition to the exercise. He previously questioned the motives behind the SIR, emphasising that voting is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution rather than a privilege granted by the authority:
"I think the entire SIR exercise is not well-intentioned. The way it has deleted crores of voters is tinkering with democracy. You are a citizen of India. I'm a citizen of India. Voting is our constitutional right. Article 326 says that everyone shall be registered. So it is not a charity from the Election Commission that they will give you that," he had stated earlier to ANI.
According to an ECI Press Note, the SIR was initiated to ensure electoral rolls are up-to-date and free from duplicate or ineligible entries while attempting to keep every eligible elector registered.
Announced nationwide in October 2025 by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the revision targeted issues such as voter migration, multiple registrations, undeleted records of deceased voters, and foreign nationals on voter lists.
Notably, the draft voter list for Maharashtra showed a drop of two crore voters compared to the previous roll. Data from Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer revealed that out of 9,78,54,049 electors, only 7,71,65,562 submitted forms during the enumeration phase as of August 17.
The drive has turned into a major political battleground in poll-bound states. Opposition parties have strongly criticised the rollouts, with Congress leader Pawan Khera alleging that the removal of voters in Maharashtra amounts to real-time vote theft by the ruling party. (ANI)
Earlier, a sharp political face-off erupted in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday as the DMK and the ruling TVK clashed over the state's official stance on the upcoming delimitation exercise.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Udhayanidhi Stalin questioned the consistency of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, pointing out that while the state assembly had passed a resolution to "freeze" the number of Lok Sabha seats at 543, the Chief Minister had omitted the specific term during the zonal meeting that took place yesterday."
The TVK government passed a resolution in this House to freeze total Lok Sabha seats at 543, but Chief Minister Vijay did not use the word 'freeze' at the Southern Zonal Council meeting," Udhayanidhi noted, suggesting a dilution of the state's demand.
Defending the administration, TVK MLA CTR Nirmal Kumar stated that the agenda of the Southern Zonal meeting was specifically tailored to address broader issues concerning all southern states.
Intervening in the debate, Minister Adhav Arjuna asserted that the government's position remains unwavering. "Our government has no change in stand with regard to delimitation," he said.
The exchange intensified as both sides traded charges of compromising the state's interests. Udhayanidhi reiterated that the DMK remains committed to a total freeze on the redrawing of constituencies, or at the very least, ensuring that Tamil Nadu's current 7.18 per cent representation is not reduced.
Minister Adhav Arjuna countered the LoP, alleging that the DMK had historically shifted its position. "If they ask only for fair delimitation, it would be a betrayal to Tamil Nadu," Arjuna remarked, claiming the DMK had previously not insisted on the 543-seat cap.
This comes after Vijay on Thursday urged the Union Government to provide a clear assurance that no state would lose parliamentary representation as a consequence of the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026, warning that population-based delimitation could disproportionately affect the Southern states.
Addressing the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council, Vijay said, "As the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census approaches its end and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, is considered, there is a genuine and shared concern across the Southern States that delimitation based predominantly on populations may diminish our collective voice in Parliament."
He argued that the Southern states should not be penalised for their achievements in stabilising their population.
"The Southern States have been at the forefront of population stabilisation, human development, and economic growth. These achievements reflect the successful implementation of national priorities and should not result in a reduction of our representation. Public policy must not inadvertently penalise States for fulfilling national objectives," he said.
"I therefore, urge the Union Government to provide a clear legislative assurance that no State will suffer a reduction in its percentage of representation in Parliament on account of its success in population stabilisation. Such an approach would uphold the principles of equity, preserve the federal balance envisioned by our Constitution, and reinforce the confidence of all States in our democratic institutions," he added.
Southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu and Keralam, have long voiced deep apprehension over delimitation based on current population metrics. Because southern states successfully implemented national family planning and population control directives over the last five decades, their relative population share has grown more slowly than that of several northern states. (ANI)
"Delimitation a contentious, debatable issue": Former CEC SY Quraishi
