Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the impact of the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, which he claims could reduce his state’s Lok Sabha constituencies from 39 to 31. He urged all political parties to oppose the move because it unfairly penalises southern states that have successfully controlled the growth of their populations and fared better on human development indices.

Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of constituencies. The composition of the current Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 census. According to the 84th Amendment Act of 2001, the constituency boundaries were frozen until the first census after 2026, which would be due in 2031.

Stalin warned that delimitation threatens Tamil Nadu’s political rights. He wrote to several political parties in the state emphasising the need for a fair and transparent approach to fixing parliamentary representation. The Tamil Nadu Assembly had passed a resolution against the proposal in February 2024, fearing that it would give more weight in the Lok Sabha to northern states.

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