In a new escalation of the nationwide redistricting battle , Democratic lawmakers in Virginia convened a special legislative session on Monday to debate a proposal to redraw congressional districts in their favour.

Meanwhile, Indiana’s Republican governor called for lawmakers to meet next week to consider a similar redistricting effort pushed by President Donald Trump .

Virginia and Indiana were poised to become the latest battlegrounds in a mid-decade redistricting war, instigated by Trump, that could play a pivotal role in the outcome of next year’s congressional elections.

Redistricting, the periodic reshaping of political boundaries dividing legislative seats, traditionally is conducted just once a decade following the U.S. Census to account for population shifts.

The widening

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