Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin chaired an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue of delimitation and passed a resolution urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide a clear assurance in Parliament that the delimitation of constituencies, set to take place in 2026, would be based on the 1971 population census for the next 30 years.
The meeting, held at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, saw participation from leaders of over 55 political parties and organizations, including key figures like AIADMK Organizing Secretary D. Jayakumar, Congress State President Selvaperunthagai, CPI State Secretary Mutharasan, CPM State Secretary Shanmugham, and others. Stalin also announced the formation of a Joint Action Committee comprising MPs from Tamil Nadu and other southern states to lead protests and raise awareness on the issue.
Stalin expressed concerns over the potential reduction in Tamil Nadu’s parliamentary representation, warning that if delimitation is based on population, the state could lose up to 8 seats, reducing its current 39 MPs to just 32. He further explained that while an increase in the number of constituencies to 848 could result in 22 additional seats for Tamil Nadu, if the process strictly follows population figures, the state would gain only 10 more seats, resulting in an overall loss of 12 seats.
Stalin emphasized that such a reduction would undermine the state’s representation and fairness, particularly as Tamil Nadu had successfully implemented family planning and social welfare schemes. He reiterated that Tamil Nadu and other southern states should not be penalized for their efforts to control population growth. He also reminded that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had assured in 2000 that delimitation would be based on the 1971 census, a promise that should be upheld by the current government.
The Tamil Nadu CM stated that the state is not opposed to delimitation but urged that it should not result in unfair punishment for states that have contributed significantly to the nation’s welfare. He called for a fair and just approach in the upcoming delimitation process.
While the meeting saw widespread support, the Tamil Manila Congress, Naam Tamilar Katchi, and the BJP were notably absent from the discussions.
