Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Mohan Sharan Majhi to convene a special session of the Odisha Assembly within 48 hours to discuss the delimitation process and pass a resolution to protect the political rights of the state.
Patnaik said Odisha may face a decline in its share of parliamentary representation if the proposed Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026 is implemented without safeguards.
“Future generations will not forgive us if we sit quietly while Odisha turns into a politically insignificant state,” Patnaik wrote.
The Center has convened a special session of Parliament starting on Thursday to discuss a major bill to amend the Constitution that includes provisions to implement the women’s quota law and the controversial demarcation exercise, raising concerns that the practice will reduce their proportionate representation in Parliament due to better performance in population control.
Odisha sends 21 MPs to Lok Sabha, which is about 3.9% of the total, Patnaik said. “If the amendment is passed, Odisha’s representation will rise to 29, but its percentage will fall to 3.4 per cent,” he said, warning that this would effectively lead to a loss of influence at the national level despite the increase in the absolute number of seats.
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Odisha risks losing nearly 15% of its political representation, he said, adding that the state could emerge as one of the “biggest losers” in the process.
“You have the moral and legitimate power to do this. Future generations will not forgive us if we sit quietly while Odisha turns into a politically insignificant state,” Patnaik said in the letter, calling on the government to hold a special session to pass a resolution that “will not allow other states to confiscate even 0.001% of Odisha’s political rights.”
Patnaik affirmed the BJP’s support for women’s political representation, and that it supported measures to expand women’s participation in governance, including 50% reservation for women in local bodies. This call comes as the debate over border demarcation rages across India.
Leaders of several southern states also argued that demarcation would disproportionately benefit northern states where population growth is higher, and penalize states that have performed better in controlling population growth and improving development indicators.
