The Central Government has clarified that there will be no increase in Assembly seats for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana until at least after 2026. This announcement aligns with the constitutional provision under Article 170(3), which mandates delimitation of constituencies only after the first census conducted post‑2026. This also impacts the stipulated increase under Section 26(1) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, which proposed raising Andhra Pradesh’s legislative seats from 175 to 225 and Telangana’s from 119 to 153.
The decision means the upcoming Telangana Legislative Assembly elections (2023) and Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections (2024) will be conducted based on the current seat structures. In March 2025, Telangana’s Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy passed a resolution urging the Union government to implement the increase immediately and amend Article 170, citing the Reorganisation Act’s mandate. However, the Supreme Court has since rejected pleas to commence delimitation before the 2026 census, reinforcing the central position.
Political leaders from both states—including the ruling parties—continue to demand early implementation, arguing that demographic changes warrant updated representation. Nonetheless, until census data is available post-2026, no assembly seat reallocation will take place. The prolonged delay has created a political stalemate on the long-pending issue of regional representation.
#AndhraPradesh
#Telangana
#AssemblySeats
#Delimitation
#Article170
#APReorganisationAct
#SeatIncrease
#Census2026
#Representation
#IndianPolitics
