Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is set to move a resolution in the state Assembly seeking permanent protection of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats and the current distribution of seats among states, while also urging the Centre to implement 33 per cent reservation for women from the 2029 general election.
The exact date or time when the resolution is likely to be tabled has not been known yet. However, the move comes after Vijay chaired a meeting of MPs on Saturday at Kalaivanar Arangam to discuss the proposed delimitation exercise.
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The meeting was boycotted by the DMK and AIADMK, which described the exercise as unnecessary and politically motivated. The AIADMK’s ally PMK also stayed away.
A total of 21 MPs attended the meeting, including 11 from the Congress, two each from the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, and one each from the MDMK and IUML. Congress leader P Chidambaram, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and MDMK’s Durai Vaiko were among those present.
TAMIL NADU SEEKS PERMANENTLY FIXED 543 LOK SABHA SEATS
The resolution to be moved by Vijay says that the number of Lok Sabha and state Assembly members has been determined on the basis of the 1971 Census population figures for the past 50 years, with elections conducted accordingly.
It refers to a Constitution Amendment Bill introduced in April 2026 that sought to remove the 50-year-old restriction on delimitation and conduct the exercise based on the 2011 Census.
The Bill also proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850 members. According to the resolution, however, the legislation failed to pass in Parliament.
The Tamil Nadu government argues that if delimitation is carried out using any Census conducted after 1971, the parliamentary representation of southern states, including Tamil Nadu, could be permanently affected.
The resolution says states that have successfully controlled their population, achieved economic growth and implemented healthcare and welfare programmes should not be adversely affected by the exercise.
It therefore seeks three key changes from the Union government.
First, the total strength of the Lok Sabha should be permanently fixed at 543 members. Second, the existing number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to each state should remain unchanged, preserving the current inter-state distribution. Third, the existing Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio of 2.2:1 should also be maintained permanently.
VIJAY SEEKS 33% WOMEN’S RESERVATION FROM 2029
Alongside the demand to protect the existing seat distribution, the resolution calls for one-third reservation for women to be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha election without delay.
Tamil Nadu wants the 33 per cent quota to be implemented on the basis of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats rather than waiting for the proposed delimitation exercise to alter the strength of the House.
The Assembly will also urge the Centre to extend the one-third reservation to subsequent general elections to state Legislative Assemblies.
VIJAY HAS REPEATEDLY OPPOSED DELIMITATION
Vijay has repeatedly opposed the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, arguing that it could weaken the political representation of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu.
During an address in Karur, he warned that Tamil Nadu would not accept any attempt to revive the exercise.
“No matter who brings it, Tamil Nadu will not accept it. Nobody can take away our place, and we will not allow it,” Vijay said.
Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election in April, Vijay had also urged the Centre to withdraw the proposed delimitation Bill, arguing that it could widen the representation gap between northern and southern states.
His latest resolution seeks to turn that political opposition into a formal position of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, with the state pushing for the existing 543-seat Lok Sabha and inter-state distribution to be retained permanently.
21 MPs ATTEND VIJAY’S DELIMITATION MEET
Vijay’s Saturday meeting at Kalaivanar Arangam brought together 21 MPs to discuss the issue, but the absence of the DMK and AIADMK meant that the two principal Dravidian parties did not participate.
The PMK, an AIADMK ally, also stayed away.
Among those who attended were 11 Congress MPs, two each from the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK, and one each from the MDMK and IUML.
Chidambaram, Thirumavalavan and Durai Vaiko were among the prominent leaders present.
The meeting came as Vijay stepped up his opposition to the proposed delimitation exercise and sought broader political backing for protecting the representation of southern states.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
