Centre Drafts Note To Increase Assembly Seats In Telugu States

Hyderabad: The Central government prepared a draft Cabinet note to undertake amendments in Article 170(3) of the Constitution and Second Schedule of the Representation of People Act. With a view to implement the assurance in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Centre plans to increase the number of Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

In October 2017, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MP Vinod Kumar wrote a letter to the Centre seeking delimitation of Assembly seats and bifurcation of High Court. Responding to the Karimnagar MP's letter, Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj G Ahir wrote back saying that a note was sent for inter-ministerial consultation to Department of Legal Affairs and Legal department of Ministry of Law and Justice. The Ministry of Law and Justice concurred the proposal and suggested that they resubmit the draft Cabinet note along with the two draft Bills with complete details relating to reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Second Schedule of the Representation of People Act, 1950, the Minister added.

“After the draft Cabinet note was prepared for amending the Constitution, the Election Commission was then requested to fill in the columns relating to the reservation of the seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Second Scheduled of the Representation of People Act. The EC intimated that after the perusal of the extent of the Assembly Constituencies, as shown in AP Reorganisation (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2015 some discrepancies were found in the pre-revised and revised extent of some Assembly Constituencies, which were forwarded to AP and Telangana governments for their comments. AP sent its comments, but the comments of Telangana are awaited,” the Minister's letter said.

Unless and until Article 170 of the Constitution is amended to bring in line with Section 26 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the increase in number of seats of Legislative Assemblies of AP from 175 to 225 and of Telangana from 119 to 153 cannot be given effect to, the Centre explained in the letter. "The Chief Justice of India (CJI) after consulting the Andhra Pradesh government, will confirm the location and infrastructure for the High Court of Andhra Pradesh," the Minister said.

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