'Confident of Centre's nod to raise Telangana Assembly seats'

Lok Sabha member Kalvakuntla Kavitha today expressed confidence of the Centre's nod on increasing the number of Assembly seats in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, saying the move warrants amendment only to the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, and not to the Constitution.
In the last Parliament session, Union Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, had said there was no such proposal (increasing the number of seats) under government's consideration, adding, the Attorney General had replied in the negative when the Law Ministry's opinion was sought in this regard.
"The minister initially thought an amendment to the Constitution would be required but we had clarified to him that only an amendment in the Reorganisation Act is required which is quite easy owing to the Lok Sabha majority of Bharatiya Janata Party," Kavitha said.

"We are speaking with the minister, making sure they understand that only the (AP Reorganisaiton) Bill needs to be modified and not the Constitution. So, that should make things a little bit more easier," the Telangana Rashtra Samiti MP from Nizamabad and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, told PTI.
Telangana officials pointed out that it has been provided in section 26(1) of the AP Reorganisation Act that subject to provisions contained in Article 170 of the Constitution and without prejudice to section 15 of this Act, number of seats in Legislative Assemblies of successor states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana shall be increased from 175 and 119 to 225 and 153, respectively.

"We certainly want the number (of Assembly seats) to be increased. We are reorganising the districts and our revenue divisions. Basically for administrative purposes, I believe reorganisation has to be done," she said.
On the Centre's decision to provide special assistance of Rs 1,976.5 crore to Andhra Pradesh during 2016-17 to compensate the financial impact arising out of bifurcation of the erstwhile state and if Telangana also needed such a package, Kavitha said, "Why should I compare myself with Andhra? Whatever they are supposed to get, they must be getting, we won't oppose it.
"What is due to Telangana, should be given to Telangana. That we will certainly demand; we will not oppose any package given to any state, including Andhra," she added.