Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said in an informal chat with the media on Saturday that delimitation of constituencies would be beneficial to Andhra Pradesh if the existing number was increased by 50% and it would lose if the process was done on the basis of the 2011 Census, or even the latest population data. The increased seats could be allotted to women, he opined.

Also, Mr. Naidu noted that there was no need to view the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Act of 2023 separately, while maintaining that women should be given 33% quota, which was overdue.

The TDP had firmly supported it and the same was evident from the resolution passed in the just-concluded Mahanadu. This became a topic of discussion at the national level and all parties would have to eventually follow suit, he opined, pointing out that the TDP had been committed to the empowerment of women right from inception.

The Central government had no second thoughts about the women’s reservation and it would become a reality sooner than later, he asserted.

Politics of murder

Referring to the murder of former MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, the Chief Minister said the case was still open due to the slain leader’s daughter Suneetha Narreddy’s fight for justice. As a daughter, she had every right to know who the conspirators were, he said.

Mr. Naidu said he too was shocked as the atrocities allegedly committed by the ‘Y.S family’ came to light one after another, and said that YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was frustrated as his party was being called the “goddali (axe) party” for indulging in politics of murder.

“Even Maoists could not achieve their objective through violence. How will a party fit in the democratic setup if it believes and indulges in violence,” he wondered.