21 TN MPs oppose proposed delimitation at CM Vijay's meet; DMK, AIADMK stay away

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday convened a meeting of the state's MPs to discuss the Centre's proposed delimitation exercise, even as major regional parties DMK and AIADMK did not attend it.

Around 21 MPs from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), MDMK and IUML attended the meeting at Kalaivanar Arangam, according to ANI. Those present agreed that Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation should not be reduced under any future delimitation formula.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the issue should be viewed beyond party politics, arguing that Tamil Nadu's representation in Parliament must be protected.

'Our representation in the parliament can't be diminished'

"The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had called for a meeting for all the MPs from Tamil Nadu from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. About 21 of us attended the meeting, and there was absolute unanimity that Tamil Nadu's rights must be preserved. Our representation in the parliament can't be diminished," he told reporters.

He added that any alteration and delimitation, either on the basis of population or on a proportionate increase, will be resisted by the parties in Tamil Nadu adding that any formula based on population or a proportionate increase in seats could dilute the state's political influence.

"We want the Parliament to be frozen at 543, and the distribution among the states to be preserved as it is, which means Tamil Nadu will have 39 members in a house of 543. We are clear in our unanimous opinion that a larger Parliament will be an ineffective Parliament, and Tamil Nadu will not be well served by a larger Parliament. So we want the Parliament to be preserved at 543 with the same representation of 39 Lok Sabha MPs for Tamil Nadu," he said.

Congress MP Jyothimani also urged all political parties to come together, saying the proposed exercise could have wider implications for Tamil Nadu and India, ANI reported. She expressed hope that the DMK and AIADMK would eventually join the campaign.

Congress MP Praveen Chakraborty criticised both parties for staying away from the meeting, saying it was disappointing that two parties that have governed Tamil Nadu for several terms did not participate in a discussion on the state's representation.

"Our demand is very clear: we do not want any change either in the total number of seats or in the share of Tamil Nadu's seats," Chakraborty said.

Why is Tamil Nadu opposing delimitation?

The proposed delimitation exercise has triggered concerns among several southern states over the possibility of their parliamentary influence being diluted.

Southern states have argued that they could be disadvantaged because they have historically recorded slower population growth after implementing family-planning and population-control measures.

Under a strictly population-based allocation of Lok Sabha seats, states with faster population growth could gain a larger share of parliamentary seats, while states such as Tamil Nadu could see their relative representation decline.

Tamil Nadu's political parties have therefore demanded that the existing allocation of Lok Sabha seats be protected and that the House's current strength of 543 be maintained.

DMK, AIADMK stay away

The meeting also highlighted the political divide over how Tamil Nadu should respond to the proposed delimitation.

The DMK and AIADMK did not attend the meeting, while PMK and DMDK also stayed away.

The absence of the DMK is particularly significant as it has a substantial representation in both Houses of Parliament.