The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has announced its opposition to the proposed Lok Sabha delimitation’s current draft, scheduled to take effect after 2026. JMM has vowed to resist the move, terming the draft unjustly and politically motivated. To strategise its protest, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will join a meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on March 22.

Addressing a press conference, JMM General Secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya questioned the intentions behind the central government’s proposed delimitation plan. He alleged that the draft was deliberately designed to benefit the BJP electorally by altering constituency dynamics in a way that politically isolates the southern, eastern, and northeastern regions.

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Bhattacharya criticised the decision to base the current delimitation draft on the 2001 census, calling it outdated and unfair. He pointed out that Jharkhand’s current 14 Lok Sabha seats would increase to 24 after the proposed changes. However, the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) would remain unchanged at five, raising concerns about reduced political representation for tribal communities.

Citing examples from other states, Bhattacharya highlighted that Uttar Pradesh’s Lok Sabha seats are set to increase from 80 to 143, Bihar’s from 40 to 79, Madhya Pradesh’s from 29 to 52, Gujarat’s from 26 to 43, Rajasthan’s from 25 to 50, Maharashtra’s from 48 to 76, Tamil Nadu’s from 39 to 49, Karnataka’s from 28 to 41, and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from 42 to 54.

“These 10 states alone will hold 647 Lok Sabha seats — nearly 76-77 per cent of the total parliamentary seats in the country,” Bhattacharya claimed, arguing that this shift undermines the constitutional principle of regional balance and diversity.

The JMM leader alleged that the entire delimitation draft was crafted with the BJP’s political gains in mind. He further claimed that the draft strategically targets tribal and Scheduled Caste-dominated regions to dilute their political influence.

Bhattacharya informed that Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has called for a joint opposition meeting on March 22 to formulate a unified response against the delimitation draft. Apart from Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, his counterpart in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and tribal dominant Odisha CM Mohan Manjhi have also been invited to the meeting.

Following JMM’s announcement, both Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) extended their support in opposing the current delimitation draft. Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha accused the BJP of attempting to weaken the political strength of Scheduled Castes and Tribes by reducing their reserved seats. He further alleged that the BJP aims to promote majoritarian politics by pushing for constitutional amendments under the guise of delimitation.

RJD Vice-President Anita Yadav echoed similar concerns, alleging that the proposed delimitation draft appears to have been designed with BJP’s long-term political advantage in mind.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha accused Congress of hypocrisy, pointing out that in 2008, when the grand old party was in power, it had supported delimitation — a stance that now contradicts its current opposition.

With growing opposition from regional and national parties alike, JMM has made its stance clear — the party will resist the proposed delimitation draft. The political strategy for this protest will be finalised following the Chennai meeting on March 22, where Chief Minister Hemant Soren is expected to firmly present Jharkhand’s concerns.

The outcome of this meeting is expected to play a pivotal role in shaping the political landscape in tribal-dominated regions, as opposition parties attempt to counter what they view as a politically skewed delimitation process.