CHENNAI: Sharply reacting to the announcement that the next Census of the country would be conducted from March 1, 2027, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday charged that his apprehensions about the next delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies came true “with the BJP-led union government delaying the Census to 2027”.
The CM, in a post on X, said, “The Constitution mandates that delimitation must follow the first Census after 2026. The BJP has now delayed the Census to 2027, making their plan clear to reduce TN’s parliamentary representation.”
The CM said what he had warned about is now unfolding. He charged that by siding with the BJP, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami is not just silent but complicit in this betrayal. “It is now clear that he has surrendered to Delhi’s domination. The people of Tamil Nadu are united as one in their demand for a fair delimitation. We need clear answers from the union government,” he added.
On February 25, Stalin had termed the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies in 2026 (based on population) as a major threat to TN, as it is expected to reduce the state’s representation in the LS from 39 to 31. Stalin had warned that, in the name of delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, a sword of Damocles is hanging over the heads of the southern states.
If the total number of MPs across the country is increased and the seats redistributed, TN would still face a loss. “Ultimately, the voice of TN will get strangulated. This is not just about the number of MPs but also about the rights of TN,” he had said.
On February 26, in Coimbatore, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had dismissed Stalin’s apprehensions and recalled that already the PM had made it clear that even after the delimitation, the seats of none of the southern states will be reduced.
Responding to this, on February 27, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said if the union government passes a resolution promising that there won’t be any change in the number of LS seats, TN would not have any problem. “As of now, of the 545 LS seats, TN represents 39 (7.2%). Our only demand is that if they are going to increase the number of seats for northern states, TN also wants its number increased,” the deputy CM had said.
Later, an all-party meeting chaired by the CM on March 5 passed a resolution urging the union government to maintain the 1971 Census-based seat allocation for 30 years from 2026 and proposed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) to advocate for southern states. The JAC, in its first meeting on March 22, demanded a 25-year status quo on the number of LS seats. Later, Stalin announced a delegation of MPs from TN to meet PM Narendra Modi and sought an appointment. But the PM did give an appointment. On April 6, Stalin urged the PM to allay the fears of the people of TN concerning the proposed delimitation exercise.