Tamil Nadu raised its voice first against Lok Sabha delimitation to protect the rights of the state, said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin a day ahead of the crucial meeting of opposition chief ministers against the exercise. Chief ministers of opposition-governed states will meet in Chennai on Saturday to jointly oppose the move that could likely affect the states’ representation in Lok Sabha.
In a video shared on social media platform X, Stalin said Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam made fair delimitation ‘talk of the town’ now as the delimitation exercise to redistribute Lok Sabha seats will definitely happen in 2026. “If the delimitation exercise is carried out based on population, our representation in Parliament will be severely affected. This is exactly why we raised our voice first,” he said.
A historic day for Indian federalism!
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 21, 2025
I extend my warmest welcome to the leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal & Punjab who are joining us for the Joint Action Committee meeting on #FairDelimitation.
The All-Party Meeting on March 5 was… pic.twitter.com/Wra2NmccIA
Stalin added this was not just about the number of MPs, but about “state’s rights”. The chief minister said an all-party meeting was convened in Tamil Nadu and except the Bharatiya Janata Party (which did not attend the meeting), all other parties passed a resolution demanding a fair delimitation process. “We decided to unite the other affected states and fight together,” he said.
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Chief ministers from seven states – Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka, West Bengal and Punjab, were invited to the meeting. Explaining why Tamil Nadu is opposing the move now, Stalin said, “If the representation of the invited states in Parliament is affected, it will strike the very foundation of federalism in India. It will erode the essence of democracy itself.”
The rights of the states will be compromised and “this is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to undermine certain states”, Stalin charged. The DMK leader said the Union government must not punish states that implemented population control measures effectively. Stalin said the state’s initiative would “protect India”.
