CHENNAI: As many as 59 Tamil Nadu political parties on Wednesday unanimously demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi unequivocally assure in Parliament that the 1971 population census will remain the basis for delimitation of Lok Sabha seats for another 30 years — till 2056 — by adopting a resolution to this effect at the all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister M K Stalin.
The resolution, proposed by the CM at the meeting held to discuss the impacts of the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats expected in 2026, also urged for a constitutional amendment ensuring the same.
It was also resolved that formal invitations would be sent to form a Joint Action Committee, comprising MPs from southern states, to carry forward delimitation-related demands and spread awareness among the public.
The all-party meeting strongly and unanimously registered its opposition to the delimitation exercise based on present population, which it termed as a “grave threat” to the representative rights of TN and other southern states and the country’s federal polity.
Of the 66 recognised and registered parties invited by the TN government for the meeting, only the BJP, Naam Tamilar Katchi and five other smaller parties — Puthiya Tamilagam, Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), Puthiya Neethi Katchi, Dr MGR Kudiyarasu Katchi and the India Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam — skipped it.
Stating that the resolutions adopted at the meet conveyed TN’s stand loud and clear, CM Stalin, later in a post on X, said that the all-party meeting also clarified that the state is not against delimitation, but it cannot and will not allow delimitation to be used as a disguised weapon against progressive states. Another resolution passed stated that if parliamentary seats are to be increased, TN’s existing share of 7.18% of the total seats in Lok Sabha must not be reduced under any circumstance.
CM thanks all parties for standing together
The union government must abandon any move to reduce, either in absolute numbers or in percentage, Tamil Nadu’s present parliamentary representation. “We will not accept any punishment for acting in the national interest by successfully controlling population growth,” the resolution added.
“I am thankful to all parties that stood together as a single unit in the all-party meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu government, setting aside the political differences to send a clear and uncompromising message on the unjust delimitation initiative,” the CM said addressing the gathering.
The present government, sensing the dangers of delimitation based on present population, adopted a resolution in the Assembly on February 14, 2024, Stalin said. “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,” he said. Contending that the central government is refusing to accept TN’s demands, despite having 39 MPs in the Lok Sabha, Stalin said that reducing the state’s representation further will be an injustice.
Reiterating the arguments he made in the invite he sent to all the parties, Stalin said there is a possibility of Tamil Nadu losing eight MP seats if the delimitation exercise is carried out, while retaining the present total of 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. On the other hand, if the seats are increased to 848, TN should get 22 more seats to maintain its present share of 7.18% in the Lok Sabha. However, if the present population is taken as the factor, TN will get only 12 additional seats, thereby reducing its representation, he said
‘Why this hurry?’
Speaking after the meeting, AIADMK organising secretary D Jayakumar said, “A drama has been enacted today to create an impression that the DMK is the only protector of Tamil Nadu’s rights”
‘Reform system first’
TVK president and actor Vijay, in a detailed statement on delimitation, argued that increasing the number of Lok Sabha seats without reforming present system is of no use