‘No dilution of southern States’ voice’: Vijay likely to seek freeze on 543 Lok Sabha seats

The proposed delimitation exercise is fast turning into a battle over political representation, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay likely to take the issue to the Assembly on Wednesday, August 11, seeking a permanent freeze on the Lok Sabha’s existing strength of 543 seats.

The resolution is expected to urge the Union government to retain not only the present number of Lok Sabha seats but also the existing inter-State distribution, a move aimed at preventing any alteration in the political weight of Tamil Nadu and other southern States.

The move follows a meeting convened by Vijay with Tamil Nadu MPs at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai on August 8. Of the State’s 57 MPs, comprising 39 Lok Sabha and 18 Rajya Sabha members, only 19 attended the meeting.

Despite the limited participation, the meeting resolved to take the issue to the Assembly and adopt a resolution seeking to safeguard the political representation and interests of Tamil Nadu and the southern States amid the delimitation debate.

The proposed resolution is also likely to call for preserving the existing Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio of 2.2:1. At the same time, it is expected to press for the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections and subsequent Assembly elections without delay.

Importantly, the demand for women's reservation would be based on the existing 543-seat strength of the Lok Sabha, rather than waiting for any expansion or redistribution of seats following delimitation.

The delimitation exercise has triggered concerns among southern States that a fresh redistribution of parliamentary constituencies could alter their existing share of representation, particularly in comparison with States that have recorded higher population growth.

Against this backdrop, Tamil Nadu's proposed Assembly resolution seeks to establish a clear position: retain the Lok Sabha at 543 seats, preserve the current inter-State allocation and ensure that women's reservation is implemented within the existing framework.

If moved and adopted, the resolution would add a formal legislative voice to Tamil Nadu's opposition to any delimitation process that could alter the current balance of parliamentary representation.