"Sword of delimitation hanging over our heads," MK Stalin warns of state losing Lok Sabha seats in delimitation

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 5 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin raised concerns over the upcoming delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, which is scheduled to take place in 2026. Speaking at an all-party meeting called on the issue, Stalin warned that the state could face a significant reduction in parliamentary representation. The Tamil Nadu BJP did not attend the all-party meet.
Stalin emphasized the threat posed by the Union Government's proposed delimitation, which is typically carried out based on population figures.
"Tamil Nadu has been pushed to carry forward one big rights protest. The sword known as Delimitation is hanging above the heads of southern states. Tamil Nadu faces a big threat," said Stalin.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu's success in controlling its population through family planning and women empowerment could lead to a loss of parliamentary seats.
"If the present 543 sets continue due to less population, there is a possibility of reducing our Parliament constituencies. Tamil Nadu could lose 8 seats. There won't be 39 MPs for Tamil Nadu, only 32 MPs would be there," Stalin added.
Stalin further explained that if the total number of Parliament constituencies is increased to 848, Tamil Nadu would "get 22 constituencies more".
However, if the delimitation is done solely based on population, the state would only gain 10 more seats, leading to a loss of 12 seats overall.
"In both models, Tamil Nadu's representation would decrease. More populated states will get more MPs," Stalin concluded, urging for a fair approach in the upcoming delimitation process.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai said that the states that had followed population control measures are now going to lose out.
"MK Stalin has picked up on the devious intent of the BJP government to silently move and catch everybody with surprise (with delimitation) ... Is the pro rata basis going to affect the existing political leverage of Southern states?... The states which scrupulously followed population control measures, which contributed to the economy and growth of this country, are now at a disadvantage... The BJP has zero credibility, especially when it comes to their promises... That is why all the chief ministers except Chandrababu Naidu support MK Stalin on this issue," he said.
Meanwhile, Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam criticized the potential delimitation process based on population, warning that it could reduce southern states' representation.The party highlighted concerns about the method's fairness and stressed addressing immediate issues like inflation and unemployment.
The party said, "According to the 84th Constitutional Amendment, the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies has been frozen until 2026. Therefore, after the upcoming year, the Union Government is likely to initiate this delimitation process. However, no clear explanation or assurance has been given to the states regarding how this restructuring will take place."
TVKK noted that no clear explanation has been provided to the states about how this restructuring will be carried out.