The all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday, August 8 over the delimitation issue, called for the strength of the Lok Sabha to be permanently frozen at the existing 543 seats, with the current allocation of seats among states also retained. The meeting was boycotted by MPs of both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
Out of the state’s 57 MPs — 39 in the Lok Sabha and 18 in the Rajya Sabha — only around 20 attended. MPs from the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India, (Marxist), Indian Union Muslim League and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam participated, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Pattali Makkal Katchi, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and Makkal Needhi Maiam stayed away. Congress MP R Sudha was also absent due to party work in Karnataka.
At the meeting, held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, it was also decided that the Tamil Nadu Assembly should adopt a resolution urging the Union government to protect the state’s representation and oppose any proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats based on population.
According to an official release, the meeting resolved that political parties should oppose and vote against any Constitutional Amendment Bill that seeks to alter the existing allocation of Lok Sabha seats. The participants also objected to granting sweeping powers to the Delimitation Commission, arguing that Parliament should have the final say in the process.
CM Vijay appealed to MPs from all political parties to work together to protect Tamil Nadu’s interests. He also argued that any delimitation based on population could reduce the political representation of states such as Tamil Nadu, which have successfully implemented population-control measures.
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the Lok Sabha’s strength should remain at 543 and Tamil Nadu’s 39 seats should be protected. He rejected the argument that increasing the total strength of the Lok Sabha to 815 or 850 would adequately address the concerns of southern states.
VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan said the existing strength of the Lok Sabha and the allocation of seats among states should remain unchanged. He said there should be no move to increase the number of MPs by 50% or redistribute seats based on population.
CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan also opposed the proposed delimitation, alleging that claims of a 50% increase in representation for all states were not reflected in the Bill introduced in Parliament.
The DMK, however, criticised Vijay for convening a separate meeting instead of building on the all-party process initiated by former Chief Minister MK Stalin. DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi described the meeting as a “political drama” and said the DMK’s position on delimitation had already been established.
The DMK has demanded that the 1971 population remain the basis for parliamentary representation for another 30 years after 2026. It has also said that if the Lok Sabha is expanded, Tamil Nadu’s existing share of around 7.18% should be protected.
Kanimozhi also questioned why Vijay had not convened an all-party meeting on the proposed Mekedatu dam project in Karnataka, which Tamil Nadu parties have opposed.
The AIADMK also criticised Vijay’s meeting, saying he should have invited party leaders for an all-party consultation rather than convening MPs separately.