Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday announced that the next meeting on constituency delimitation will take place in Hyderabad, Telangana.
During the Joint Action Committee (JAC) meeting held in Chennai, Stalin called for a united opposition to protest against the delimitation exercise, which he claimed would weaken the political representation of southern states.
Stalin stressed the importance of taking the delimitation issue to a legal platform, proposing the formation of a legal expert committee to ensure a fair process.
“I appeal to all leaders to provide inputs so we can take this issue forward legally. We must stand united in our protest to ensure that our parliamentary representation is not reduced in any way,” he said.
He further opposed the population-based delimitation, arguing that it would disproportionately affect states like Tamil Nadu, which have successfully implemented population control measures.
“Due to our efforts in population control, our states face the risk of losing parliamentary seats, reducing our ability to express our views and weakening our political influence,” Stalin warned.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan strongly criticized the BJP-led Central government, alleging that the delimitation process was being undertaken without consultation and was driven by “narrow political interests” rather than constitutional principles.
“Various reports indicate that the Union Government is moving forward with delimitation without any consultation. This move is not based on democratic or constitutional principles but on political interests,” CM Vijayan stated.
He emphasized that a population-based delimitation would disadvantage Kerala and other southern states, as it would lead to a reduction in their parliamentary representation.
The Chennai meeting saw participation from key opposition leaders, including:
- Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar
- Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
- Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann
- Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das
- BJD leader Sanjay Kumar Das Burma
With the next meeting set to take place in Hyderabad, the opposition leaders have vowed to continue their joint resistance against what they perceive as an unfair delimitation process.
