The central government’s proposed delimitation exercise has triggered a political storm in southern India, with several parties raising concerns over its potential impact on the region.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has convened an emergency meeting of DMK MPs on Wednesday to discuss the likely consequences of the delimitation process. The meeting, to be conducted via video conference from Dharmapuri at 11 am, will be held amid Stalin’s busy election campaign schedule.
Key topics expected to be addressed include the impact on Tamil Nadu’s political representation and concerns over the fairness of the proposed redistribution of parliamentary seats.
The Narendra Modi government is set to present a Constitution amendment bill, a bill on the delimitation law, and an enabling bill for the Union territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, aiming to fast-track the implementation of the Women's Reservation Law of 2023.
The bill proposes to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed to the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present.
Stalin, along with several opposition leaders, has raised concerns that the bill does not provide for a proportional increase in seats for the southern states. He alleges that this could lead to a reduction in their representation in the House.
On Tuesday, Stalin warned that Tamil Nadu would launch a massive agitation if the state’s interests were undermined or if southern states were disproportionately affected.
In Telangana, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has demanded that the seat increase be done on a pro-rata basis, while Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) has strongly cautioned against any reduction in southern states’ representation. KTR warned that such a move would not remain just a political issue but could trigger a widespread public agitation across South India.
KTR further emphasised that the people of the southern states would not tolerate any attempt to diminish their voice in Parliament, and vowed they would fight vigorously to protect the rights of South India’s population.
