CHENNAI: The resolutions moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday at the all-party meeting convened to discuss the impact of the 2026 delimitation of parliamentary seats included a demand that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assure in the parliament that the 1971 population will be the basis for the delimitation for another 30 years till 2056.
He said this will encourage all States in India to implement effective population control measures as done by Southern States. He recalled that late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had assured in the parliament in 2000 that the 1971 population would continue to be the basis of delimitation.
The all-party meeting is under way as of 12.30 pm on Wednesday with representatives of all the participating political parties presenting their views. The resolutions proposed by CM Stalin during his opening remarks are yet to be adopted in the meeting.
Another resolution the CM proposed demanded the introduction of necessary Constitutional amendments to ensure that the present proportion of all South Indian States, including Tamil Nadu, in both the houses of the parliament will be retained if the parliamentary constituencies are increased as per 1971 population.
He said these demands are being proposed as the minimum demands of Tamil Nadu.
Stalin also proposed the formation of a “Joint Action Group” with MPs from south Indian states from different parties to take the delimitation-related struggle forward and create awareness among the public in this regard.
“I appeal to the leaders of all political parties to stand united on this critical issue of Tamil Nadu. All political parties should raise their voice in this regard, cutting across party lines.
The CM said reducing the number of LS seats based on population would be a penal action on the Southern States for contributing to the growth of the country by implementing the population control measures efficiently. "Sensing this danger, we have adopted a resolution in the State Assembly on February 14, 2024. In that, we have stressed that the rights of Tamil Nadu, federal structure, and representation for Tamil Nadu (in Parliament) should not get affected due to the 2026 delimitation," the CM recalled.
"It is a direct assault on the political rights of Tamil Nadu. If this unfair delimitation of LS seats is carried out, the voice of Tamil Nadu will get strangulated in Indian politics. The strength of our State in safeguarding the interests and welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu will be reduced. At a time when the union government is refusing to accept the voice of Tamil Nadu through 39 MPs, reducing the representation of MPs further will become an injustice caused to Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Explaining further, Stalin said there is a possibility of Tamil Nadu losing 8 MP seats if the overall number of 543 seats in Lok Sabha is retained as part of delimitation. On the other hand, if the seats are increased to 848, Tamil Nadu should get 22 more seats to maintain its proportion of Lok Sabha seats. However, if the present population is taken as the factor for deciding the number of seats, the State will get only 12 additional seats, thereby reducing its representation in Lok Sabha.
