The first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on Delimitation is underway in Chennai, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reiterating the demand for “fair delimitation” rather than outright opposition to the exercise.
Addressing the gathering, CM Stalin stressed that population-based constituency delimitation would unfairly impact states that have successfully controlled population growth.
“Our country is home to multiple cultures. If constituency delimitation is carried out solely on a population basis, states that have taken proactive steps to control population growth will be at a disadvantage. This is why we are urging for fair delimitation,” Stalin stated.
Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin echoed similar concerns, arguing that states that managed to stabilize their populations should not be penalized by losing political representation.
“For decades, states present here have taken measures to control and manage population growth, achieving what the nation aimed for. However, instead of being rewarded, we are now at risk of losing our representation in Parliament,” he said.
The Chief Ministers and representatives from several states attended the meeting, though the Trinamool Congress (TMC), despite backing DMK’s stand on delimitation, did not send any representatives.
Before the meeting, CM Stalin welcomed Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to the gathering and felicitated attending leaders.
CM Stalin has consistently called for a united front against what he termed a “blatant assault on federalism,” urging opposition leaders to join hands in demanding a fair approach to delimitation. He had also written to Chief Ministers of seven states, including both NDA and non-NDA leaders, seeking their support in opposing “unfair” constituency reallocation.
Ahead of the meeting, CM Stalin took to X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“Today will be etched in history as the day when states that have contributed to our nation’s development came together to safeguard its federal structure by ensuring #FairDelimitation. I warmly welcome all Chief Ministers and political leaders to this meeting.”
The Tamil Nadu government and the Centre have been at odds over the delimitation process as well as the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
