Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday extended his support to Tamil Nadu's resistance against the Centre's proposed delimitation exercise.
Siddaramaiah reiterated Karnataka's support after a delegation led by Tamil Nadu Forest Minister Dr. K. Ponmudi and Rajya Sabha member Mohammed Abdullah Ismail met him at his official residence in Bengaluru.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin discussed the issue with Siddaramaiah over the phone, which was followed by a discussion with the delegation.
"We condemn without hesitation all the actions of the central government that are against the interests of Karnataka, weaken democracy, and go against the federal principle of the Constitution," Siddaramaiah said.
This move is seen as a significant show of solidarity among southern states, which are concerned that the delimitation exercise could reduce their parliamentary representation.
Stalin, in his letter (dated March 7, 2025) to Siddaramaiah, argued that the delimitation exercise, which may be conducted based on the 2026 census population, would unfairly penalize states that have successfully controlled their population growth. He also emphasised that the delimitation exercise would lead to a democratic imbalance, where states with superior governance indicators would have reduced representation in the Parliament.
With the 2021 Census delayed, the delimitation exercise—originally expected after the 2031 Census—could now take place much earlier than anticipated. This acceleration gives us very little time to protect our interests. The question is no longer if delimitation will happen, but when and whether it will honour the contributions of States that have advanced our national priorities. Post-2026, the situation may become drastically skewed if the exercise is conducted based on the next census population.
Stalin who speculated over the two potential approaches for the delimitation - redistribution of the existing 543 among the states and increasing the number of seats beyond 800 seats, said, in both scenarios, all the states that have successfully implemented population control measures stand to lose significantly if the exercise is based on post-2026 population.
He also expressed concern that once implemented, the democratic imbalance could persist for decades, leaving the concerned states with diminished capacity to advocate for their people's interests, secure rightful resources, and influence critical national decisions.
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Stalin also clarified that Tamil Nadu was not against delimitation itself, but was opposed to its weaponization against states that fulfilled their national duties, thus punishing progress.
Proposing the formation of a Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, and Punjab to coordinate a unified response to the issue, Stalin has invited Siddaramaiah to join the JAC and nominate a senior representative to help develop a strategy, besides proposing an inaugural meeting in Chennai on March 22.
