After Delimitation, Settlers’ Influence To Increase In Telangana

The Government of India is likely to finish the Delimitation Exercise before the next General Elections in 2029.

In AP, the current 175 Assembly seats to become 263 and 25 Lok Sabha Seats to 38. Telangana Assembly seats will go up to 179 from 119 seats and Parliament Seats from 17 to 26.

In Telangana, The Hyderabad metropolitan belt — covering Hyderabad, Medchal, Malkajgiri, and Rangareddy districts may register a 50% increase in the number of Assembly seats. The wider Hyderabad + erstwhile Rangareddy area could go up to 51 seats total in some projections.

The exercise could add 22 new constituencies across the region and these increased seats will account for one-third of the total seats that are going to be increased in Telangana.

The voters in GHMC comprise 26 percent of the total electorate in the state. The settlers form 70% of the total voters in the region and they decide the fate of political parties in this area.

This increase in number of seats will further increase the prominence of Andhra Pradesh based settlers in the upcoming elections in the state. However, parties like BRS which are trying to use the ‘Telangana Sentiment’ plank may not like this.

In the 2023 Assembly elections, Congress could not open its account in the GHMC region despite winning the state.

But in the subsequent by-elections, Congress has been winning here. Polarization of TDP votes here towards Congress and the Reddy Voters of YSR Congress/Congress will also benefit Congress when it comes to AP-based settlers.

The Congress will have an advantage of making the delimitation to its benefit since it is in Power. The State Government will have a significant say in redrawing the boundaries of the constituencies. But it is also a different story that the BJP-led Central Government may not allow it to happen.

Along with the increase in the influence of the settlers, the influence of the educated people and IT crowd will also become prominent going forward.

The possible new segments in and around West Hyderabad where the educated and the IT crowd may include Banjara Hills, Gachibowli, Miyapur, Himayatnagar, Shamshabad, Chandanagar, Narsingi, Bachupally, Kapra, Boduppal, Keesara and Balanagar (IDPL).

But then, they have to be not lethargic for going out to vote on the Polling Day.