CHENNAI: The TVK-led Tamil Nadu government has decided to move a special resolution against the proposed delimitation exercise in the State Assembly on Monday, August 10, in an effort to protect Tamil Nadu’s existing representation in Parliament.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu held in Chennai and chaired by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay.
The move is also being viewed as a political strategy aimed at putting the DMK, the principal opposition party, under pressure to clarify its position on the contentious issue of delimitation.
Resolution Seeks to Protect Existing Parliamentary Representation
The meeting called for the existing strength of 543 Lok Sabha members and the current inter-State allocation of parliamentary seats to be retained permanently through appropriate constitutional and legislative amendments.
The MPs also resolved to urge all political parties to oppose in Parliament any proposed constitutional amendment or legislation that could alter the existing strength of the Lok Sabha or the present distribution of seats among states.
The meeting further demanded that the existing 2.2:1 ratio between the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be retained, arguing that any change could have a serious impact on the representation of states.
Southern States Raise Population Control Concerns
The participants expressed concern that southern states, which have successfully implemented population-control measures, could potentially lose parliamentary representation following the next delimitation exercise based on population figures.
They argued that states should not be penalized for successfully implementing family-planning and population-control policies.
The meeting also criticized proposals to substantially increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats.
The possibility of increasing the number of Lok Sabha constituencies by up to 50% was described by participants as an “illusion to sweeten the pill”, arguing that increasing the overall strength of Parliament would not necessarily address the concerns of states that could lose their relative share of representation.
TVK Seeks DMK’s Position on Delimitation
The special resolution is also expected to put political pressure on the DMK, which has made delimitation an important political issue in Tamil Nadu.
The DMK has called for a fair delimitation based on the 1971 Census and demanded a constitutional amendment extending the freeze on the allocation of parliamentary seats for another 30 years from 2026.
The party has also demanded that Tamil Nadu’s existing 7.18% share of representation in Parliament not be reduced under any circumstances.
However, the DMK did not attend the meeting called by the TVK-led government, despite invitations being extended to all MPs from Tamil Nadu.
DMK, AIADMK and Other Parties Skip Meeting
The meeting was attended by members of the ruling alliance but was boycotted by several major political parties, including the DMK and AIADMK, along with their respective allies.
A total of 19 MPs attended the meeting, including representatives from:
- Congress – 11 MPs
- VCK – 2 MPs
- CPI – 2 MPs
- CPI(M) – 2 MPs
- IUML – 1 MP
- MDMK – 1 MP
The DMK, AIADMK, PMK, DMDK and MNM did not participate.
The meeting had reportedly invited all 57 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu.
MPs Question Proposal to Expand Lok Sabha
The participants also argued that retaining the existing 543-member Lok Sabha was important because MPs already have limited time to present their views during parliamentary proceedings.
They questioned whether a significant expansion in the number of Lok Sabha seats would necessarily improve parliamentary functioning.
The MPs maintained that any change to the current structure should take into account the concerns of states that could see their representation decline because of differences in population growth.
Parliament Should Have Final Say, MPs Say
The meeting also discussed the powers and functioning of the Delimitation Commission.
Participants suggested that Parliament should have the final authority over major decisions concerning delimitation and the distribution of parliamentary constituencies.
They argued that any constitutional or legislative changes affecting the representation of states should undergo comprehensive parliamentary scrutiny.
Chief Minister Appeals for Political Unity
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay appealed to MPs across political parties to work together to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation.
He urged political leaders to oppose any move that could alter the existing strength of Parliament or the current system of seat allocation among states.
The chief minister’s appeal comes ahead of the special resolution scheduled to be introduced in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on August 10.
Ministers and MPs Attend Meeting
Several senior ministers and MPs participated in the meeting, including Ministers N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, R. Nirmalkumar and Rajmohan.
Among the MPs present were P. Chidambaram, Manickam Tagore and Thol. Thirumavalavan.
The proposed resolution is expected to intensify the political debate over delimitation, population-based representation and the future distribution of parliamentary seats, particularly between northern and southern states.
With the 2026 Census and future delimitation expected to have major implications for India’s parliamentary representation, Tamil Nadu’s latest move seeks to build political opposition to any arrangement that could reduce the state’s existing share of representation in Parliament.
