Ahead of the first Joint Action Committee meeting scheduled for Saturday with several Chief Ministers and political leaders, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin emphasized the importance of fair delimitation. He stated that the issue extends beyond the number of parliamentary seats and directly impacts the rights of the state.
Delimitation and Its Impact on Tamil Nadu
Stalin highlighted the urgency of the matter in a video message posted on X, explaining why his party, the DMK, has been actively raising concerns about delimitation. “Fair delimitation is the talk of the town right now. Why has the DMK brought this to focus? Because in 2026, delimitation will happen. And if the delimitation exercise is carried out based on population, our representation in Parliament will be severely affected. This is not just about the number of MPs but about our State’s rights. This is why we have convened a meeting of all parties. Except the BJP, every other party stood together as one,” he said.
His remarks reflect Tamil Nadu’s ongoing opposition to the process, as many in the state fear that basing seat allocation on population size could significantly reduce their representation in Parliament.
Conflict with the Central Government
The Tamil Nadu government, under Stalin’s leadership, has been at odds with the Central government over various issues, including the proposed three-language policy in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the upcoming delimitation process.
To strengthen opposition against the delimitation exercise, Stalin called for a meeting of the Joint Action Committee on March 22 in Chennai. He invited leaders from multiple political parties to come together and resist what he described as a “blatant assault on federalism.”
Additionally, Stalin reached out to the Chief Ministers of seven states, including both those aligned with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition-ruled states, urging them to unite against what he termed an “unfair exercise.”
Chidambaram Warns of Seat Reduction for Southern States
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also expressed serious concerns about the consequences of delimitation. He warned that if the process proceeds as planned, southern states could lose a significant number of Lok Sabha seats, which would diminish their influence in national policymaking.
“Delimitation is a serious issue. It was frozen in 1971. A census taken after 2026 will lead to delimitation, followed by re-determination of the seats. According to our calculation, if it is redistributed according to the current population of states, and the state’s numbers are changed, our southern states, which have 129 seats, will come down to 103. The five southern states will lose 26 seats, whereas the populous states where population is growing will gain seats, especially UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan,” Chidambaram explained.
His statement underscores the growing concern that states like Tamil Nadu, which have successfully controlled population growth, may be unfairly penalized, while states with higher birth rates stand to gain parliamentary seats.
With leaders from multiple parties raising alarm over the potential consequences, the upcoming meeting in Chennai is expected to be a significant step in shaping the opposition’s response to the delimitation exercise.
