Bhubaneswar, April 15:While the Delimitation Bill is a matter of debate for the political observers, Odisha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday has written a 3-page letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
In the letter that underlines the probable effects of the Delimitation Bill, the LoP urged Majhi to call for an urgent Session in the Odisha Assembly to discuss in this connection.
As the letter read, Naveen & his team is going to strongly oppose the proposed delimitation exercise anticipating significant reduction of Odisha’s political representation at the national level.
In a letter dated April 15, Patnaik highlighted Odisha’s historical legacy, recalling that the state was formed on April 1, 1936, as the first linguistic province in India after prolonged struggles by Odia leaders and people. He underscored Odisha’s contributions to the freedom movement, citing figures such as Buxi Jagabandhu, Veer Surendra Sai, Gopabandhu Das, and child martyr Baji Rout, while also emphasizing the unifying influence of Jagannath culture in shaping India’s inclusive ethos.
Raising concerns over the proposed Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850 members, Patnaik argued that Odisha’s share in Parliament would proportionally decline despite an increase in absolute seats. He noted that the state currently holds 21 Lok Sabha seats (3.9%), which may rise to 29 under the new proposal, but its share would drop to around 3.4%, amounting to what he termed a “15 per cent loss” in political representation.
Patnaik contended that Odisha, which has performed well in population control and human development, would be unfairly penalised, with its political influence redistributed to other states. He warned that the state could emerge as one of the biggest losers in the delimitation exercise, calling it a “grave injustice” to the aspirations of 4.5 crore Odias.
Calling the issue one that’s about to hit the spirtit of cooperative federalism, Patnaik urged the Chief Minister to take up the matter with utmost urgency and assert Odisha’s rights.Thus, he urged Majhi to organize a special session of the Assembly within 48 hours to pass a resolution ensuring that no marginal reduction in the state’s political representation is effected.
