Predictable Verdict Highlights Court’s Stance

Quick Summary

• The Supreme Court has ruled that telangana adn Andhra Pradesh will need to wait until after the Census, starting in 2026, for delimitation of Legislative Assembly constituencies as mandated by Article 170(3) of the Constitution.
• Under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Assembly constituencies were to increase from 175 to 225 in Andhra pradesh and from 119 to 153 in Telangana. However, delays in conducting the Census postponed this promise.
• Telangana raised this issue multiple times with the Central government through letters and meetings since bifurcation; however, no resolution or progress was made on delimitation.
• A Supreme Court petition referencing Jammu & Kashmir’s precedent for early delimitation was dismissed last week. The Court clarified that constitutional provisions bar any adjustments to state-level constituency boundaries before completion of the next Census post-2026.
• The next Census is scheduled to begin in phases starting in 2026, and final figures are expected only by March 2027-potentially delaying further action on reorganization until later years.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Supreme Court’s ruling underscores adherence to constitutional frameworks dictating electoral processes across states. Despite strong lobbying efforts by both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh citing provisions under their reorganization act from over a decade ago, legal restrictions under Article 170(3) require linkage between constituency readjustment and finalized census data. This demonstrates precedence of constitutional interpretation over political commitments.

While disappointing for stakeholders expecting immediate seat increases for more equitable representation post-bifurcation challenges remain systemic rather than intentional obstructions allege-action clarifying above procedural mechanism possible exceptions drafting specifics could mitigate confusions future statutes lessons lawmaking