Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Wednesday, March 5, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the upcoming delimitation process is conducted based on the 1971 census, extending its application for the next 30 years. Addressing an all-party meeting in Chennai, he also demanded that there should be an increase in the number of parliamentary seats and necessary Constitutional amendments to protect the political representation of Tamil Nadu and other southern states.
“We urge the Prime Minister to assure that the delimitation process will be done based on the 1971 census only after 2026 and for the next 30 years. We also demand that the number of parliamentary seats should be increased and the necessary constitutional amendments should be made. This all-party meeting places these demands as the minimum expectations of Tamil Nadu. We will take this issue to the people and create awareness about it. We will also form a joint action committee for MPs from South India to take this issue forward,” Stalin had said.
Further, CM Stalin also said that because of the delimitation, Tamil Nadu could lose 12 parliamentary seats under the current formula. He added that Tamil Nadu’s success in controlling population growth through family planning and women’s empowerment could lead to this situation. “If the total number of parliamentary constituencies increases, Tamil Nadu should get 22 additional seats. However, based on the present population, we would only receive 10 additional seats, leading to a net loss of 12. This is a direct attack on Tamil Nadu’s political representation in Indian democracy. The voice of our state is being stifled, and our strength in protecting the interests of our people is being diminished,” he added.
Stalin headed the all-party meeting in Chennai, and saw participation from major political parties, including the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Congress, Left parties, and actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK). However, the Tamil Nadu BJP boycotted the meeting, with state president K Annamalai calling the concerns over delimitation “imaginary” and labeling the meeting “the funniest”. Tamil nationalist party Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) also abstained from attending the meeting.