CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Union government to permanently retain the existing strength of the Lok Sabha at 543, based on the population figures of the 1971 census. The Assembly also opposed any delimitation of constituencies based on a census conducted after 1971, stating that such an exercise would severely affect Tamil Nadu and other southern States that had effectively controlled their population growth.
The resolution proposed by the ruling TVK government was supported by the DMK, despite the party not attending the all-party MPs’ meeting convened by Chief Minister Vijay on August 8.
Besides the DMK, the Congress, CPI, CPM, IUML and VCK supported the resolution, while the AIADMK, PMK and BJP opposed it.
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi MLA M H Jawahirullah, who was elected on the DMK symbol, also supported the resolution
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister was adopted with the majority of the members backing it. The Assembly also urged the Centre to permanently maintain the existing inter-State distribution of Lok Sabha seats and retain the current Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio at 2.2:1. It further called for the immediate implementation of 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha election, based on the existing strength of 543 seats.
The resolution recalled that in April 2026, a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking to lift the 50-year-old freeze on delimitation, undertake delimitation based on the 2011 Census and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850 members failed to clear Parliament.
Against the backdrop of the possibility of the Constitution Amendment Bill being reintroduced, the resolution said delimitation based on any census conducted after 1971 could permanently affect the parliamentary representation of southern States, including Tamil Nadu, which have successfully implemented population control measures.
Presenting the resolution, CM Vijay said the number of women MLAs in the Assembly had increased from 12 in 2021 to 23 in 2026, but this was still not sufficient. “I see the women who supported us as sisters, mothers and grandmothers in our families. Whether within a family or a country, development cannot be measured merely by the wealth it possesses, but by the empowerment of women. Women account for more than 50% of the voters in Tamil Nadu,” he said, urging the Union government to introduce 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
DMK leader and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said that during the previous DMK regime, the Assembly had passed a resolution opposing the proposed delimitation exercise, while former Chief Minister M K Stalin had also convened a Cabinet meeting to oppose the proposal. The Centre’s earlier attempt to push through the delimitation exercise failed mainly due to the DMK’s opposition, Udhayanidhi said.
Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna said the number of MPs in the United States had remained unchanged for more than 100 years. “Any attempt to increase the number of MPs by 50% will empower Hindi-speaking States and create unequal political representation. With the support of a few northern States, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, a political party could win elections. Tamil Nadu would then lose its voice in Parliament, like the northeastern States,” he said.
Former Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami questioned the need for such a resolution when the Centre has not yet made public the draft of the revised delimitation Bill. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had informed Parliament in April that Tamil Nadu’s current share of 7.18% of the total number of MPs would increase marginally to 7.21% if the number of MPs were increased by 50%.
“When the overall share of MPs in Parliament remains almost unchanged, why should we oppose it?” Palaniswami asked. However, he supported the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Earlier in August, the Chief Minister had convened a meeting with MPs to discuss the delimitation issue. About 19 MPs belonging to the Congress, VCK, MDMK, IUML, CPI and CPI(M) participated in the meeting, while the two major Dravidian parties, the DMK and AIADMK, boycotted it. The meeting had also decided to oppose the delimitation exercise and seek to freeze the strength of the Lok Sabha at 543.
