Delimitation, census, democracy: Banojyotsna Lahiri sounds the alarm on Kunal Kamra's ‘Nope’ podcast
New Delhi: In the 24th episode of the podcast series "Nope w/ Kunal Kamra," democratic rights activist and Delhi-based researcher Banojyotsna Lahiri raised serious concerns over the delayed census, the growing push for "One Nation, One Election."
Hosted by comedian and political commentator Kunal Kamra, the episode titled "The End Game of Elections?" delved into the implications of electoral delimitation, especially its impact on the federal balance between northern and southern India.
At the heart of the discussion was the question of why India’s census, due in 2021, has still not been conducted. “Census has not been done yet, that too is a crime,” Lahiri remarked at the beginning. She dismissed the government’s earlier excuse of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that large public events like the IPL and Cricket World Cup were held between 2021 and 2025. Drawing a historical comparison, she noted that even during World War II, the British government managed to conduct the census in 1942.
Lahiri highlighted that the census is the constitutional basis for the delimitation process, as laid out in Articles 82 and 170. After every ten-year census, a delimitation commission is meant to be formed to redraw the boundaries and determine the number of parliamentary seats, including those reserved for SCs and STs. However, the last such exercise was carried out based on the 1971 census. “After the Emergency, in 1976, it was decided that this delimitation will not be done until 2001,” she said, adding that the freeze was later extended to 2026 as part of a compromise between states with high population growth and those with better development indicators.
The crux of her argument lay in how the new round of delimitation, expected after the 2026 census, would disproportionately benefit northern Indian states with higher populations, while punishing the southern states that have effectively implemented population control and progressive policies. Lahiri warned, “This is a kind of punishment to the South for doing better. The states that did good work, they will now be punished by reducing their political power.”
Kamra interjected to ask whether this issue was being seen through a regional lens. Lahiri confirmed that the north-south divide was indeed an underlying tension in the discourse. “In the name of democracy, you are taking away seats from South India,” she said. The logic is that states that grew faster demographically will receive more parliamentary representation, skewing national politics further in favour of the Hindi heartland.
The conversation also touched on the broader narrative around caste and representation. Lahiri questioned the societal misconception that “general” categories imply “upper caste.” “General does not mean upper caste. General means for everyone,” she asserted. She pointed out that in several constituencies marked as ‘general’, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constitute the majority, yet they are often denied representation.
On the topic of “One Nation, One Election,” Lahiri linked it to a broader pattern of democratic erosion. She described these policies as attempts to “destroy the essence of democracy,” adding that “we will have to fight for that too, and we will fight.”
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Remarks against St Francis Xavier: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar gets bail
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa on Saturday granted bail to right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar, who was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory comments against St Francis Xavier.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Vasco, granted regular bail to Khattar, currently admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment of chest pain after he was shifted from the District Hospital in Mapusa two days back.
A row erupted after a video of remarks by Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar, went viral.
St Francis Xavier is revered as the patron saint of Goa.
The controversial remarks led to the Vasco Police registering an FIR against Khattar on charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between groups.
He was detained in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, by local police. His custody was later handed over to the Goa Crime Branch, according to officials.
