Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday moved a resolution in the Assembly calling on the Centre to retain the Lok Sabha’s strength at 543 seats permanently.
Vijay also backed the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women, asserting in the resolution that the proposed quota should be calculated based on the existing strength of 543 seats in the lower house.
The chief minister said that 33 per cent reservation for women must not be delayed anymore and asserted that "reservation for women is not a concession, it is their democratic right".
Reacting to the resolution, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said the move aligns with the long-standing position previously advocated by the DMK.
Speaking to ANI on the resolution, Elangovan recalled how similar measures in the past saved Tamil Nadu's political weightage.
"What happened last time, they had pegged the number of seats in each state to the existing number. That is why we still have 39. Otherwise, we would have lost seats even during the last delimitation," Elangovan said.
The DMK leader suggested that the resolution brought by Chief Minister Vijay mirrors the logic and demands already raised by his party.
"Maybe that is what he wanted now. So, what we said, he is following... They might have discussed what happened during the last delimitation process that should continue. Maybe that is the reason he is bringing in a resolution to that effect," he added.
Through the resolution, the Tamil Nadu government has placed four major demands before the Union Government.
First, the total number of Lok Sabha members should be permanently retained at the current 543. Second, the inter-state allocation of Lok Sabha seats must be frozen based on the current proportion of representation. Third, the existing ratio of 2.2:1 between population and states must be maintained, and fourth, a 33 per cent reservation for women should be implemented in the upcoming 2029 Lok Sabha elections based on the current 543 constituencies.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16 to expand the Lok Sabha's strength to 850 seats and expedite the implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill passed in 2023. However, the bill was not passed, as it failed to secure the constitutionally required special two-thirds majority of members present and voting in Parliament.
While the Congress and the opposition parties have expressed support for the women's reservation bill, they opposed the delimitation exercise, seeking to increase the number of seats in the Lower House of Parliament. The Opposition has demanded delinking of women's reservation from the delimitation exercise.
(With inputs from PTI & ANI)