Tamil Nadu CM Vijay takes ‘U-turn’ on delimitation; Chidambaram backs 25-year freeze on Lok Sabha seats

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's remark on the delimitation on Thursday sparked a political row in the state, with the Opposition parties — the DMK and the AIADMK — accusing him of making a “spectacular U-turn” on the issue. The Opposition condemned the "flip-flop" as Vijay demanded "clear legislative assurance" from the Centre over the Delimitation Bill, 2026.

What did CM Vijay say on delimitation?

During the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram, CM Vijay urged the Union government to provide a "clear legislative assurance" that no state would lose parliamentary representation as a consequence of the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026.

In the meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, CM Vijay voiced concerns over being penalised for successful population control. He said that there is concern that the Delimitation Bill, 2026, would lead to decreased representation for less-populated southern states.

"As the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census approaches its end and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, is considered, there is a genuine and shared concern across the southern states that delimitation based predominantly on populations may diminish our collective voice in Parliament," Vijay was quoted as saying in the meeting by PTI.

He reportedly argued that the southern states should not be penalised for their achievements in stabilising their population.

"The southern states have been at the forefront of population stabilisation, human development, and economic growth. These achievements reflect the successful implementation of national priorities and should not result in a reduction of our representation. Public policy must not inadvertently penalise states for fulfilling national objectives," he said.

Many see Vijay's latest remark as him softening his stance on the delimitation issue. Earlier this month, Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to effect Constitutional amendments to ensure that the strength of Lok Sabha members is made permanent at 543.

He drew PM Modi's attention to the resolution passed on 12 August 2026 by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies as well as the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women.

The chief minister said the resolution urges that the "total number of members of the House of the People [Lok Sabha] should be made permanent at 543."

Quoting the resolution, CM Vijay had demanded that the number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to the states should be made permanent at the present level, which means the current distribution of seats among the states must be maintained.

Opposition accuses Vijay of making 'U-turn'

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai alleged that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu "made a spectacular U-turn" at the meeting, "thereby ditching the Congress party".

"Earlier, on the question of delimitation, the stand of the TVK party is 'no delimitation...please don't do any delimitation, freeze it for 543 seats'. But today, in that meeting, he [Vijay] said Tamil Nadu should not be put at a disadvantage, the same percentage of political weight that Tamil Nadu has right now should be maintained...," Annadurai was quoted by IANS as saying.

The AIADMK also attacked the TVK government, calling its position a complete “U-turn” on delimitation. "What you are saying now is exactly the same thing the Union government said. And that is why the AIADMK supported the delimitation bill when it was introduced," the party’s IT Wing said in a social media post.

“Why conduct such a resolution drama just to flip-flop like this?” it asked.

TVK defends Vijay's remarks

The TVK defended Vijay’s remarks, saying there had been no change in the party’s position. It accused critics of spreading “misleading opinions” about delimitation without understanding the issue.

Speaking to reporters outside the meeting, Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity and Law CTR Nirmalkumar said the government’s position had not changed.

'No changes to Lok Sabha's 543 seats': Chidambaram

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Friday advocated for a 25-year freeze on the current strength of the Lok Sabha, aligning the Congress party's stance with the resolution recently passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

In a post on social media platform X, the Congress leader said, "The Lok Sabha constituency delimitation, the resolution of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and the Congress Working Committee's resolution have all adopted the same stance. There should be no changes to the Lok Sabha's total of 543 seats or Tamil Nadu's 39 constituencies. The Congress party's stance is that these current numbers should be extended for 25 years."