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CM Vijay told Amit Shah to continue freeze on Lok Sabha seats, says TN minister amid row over his delimitation stand
Aadhav Arjuna asserted that the state government remained firm on its (Assembly) resolution to freeze the number of parliamentary seats at 543.
Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjun on Friday said that chief minister C Joseph Vijay conveyed to Union home minister Amit Shah that existing freeze capping Lok Sabha seats at 543 nationally and 39 in the state should continue. His clarification came amid a row over Vijay's meeting with Amit Shah in which, according to DMK and AIDMK allegation, changed his stand on delimitation.
Vijay, at the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram on Thursday, sought a “clear legislative assurance” from the Centre that southern states would not lose their share of seats in Parliament because they have successfully controlled population growth. However, he did not repeat a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly on August 12, which called for the 543 Lok Sabha seats to be permanently frozen and the existing allocation of seats among states to be retained.
Arjun, Tamil Nadu's public works minister, in the Assembly on Friday, asserted that the state government remained firm on its (Assembly) resolution to freeze the number of parliamentary seats at 543, news agency PTI reported.
Also read: DMK rejects Vijay’s free cars for 59 MLAs, Udhayanidhi Stalin says ‘government in debt’
Endorsing Arjun, energy resources and law minister R Nirmal Kumar said he had clarified the government's stance immediately after contradictory views were highlighted in the media on August 20 in the midst of the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at Kovalam near here.
Raising the issue, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami reportedly said the Centre does not pass a new law to extend the freeze. The next population census could lead to a reduction in Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation below 39, he said and questioned the state government's stand on the subject.
Later, Speaker JCD Prabhakar clarified that media reports cannot be used as primary evidence for debates in the House, reaffirming that the state's position remained focused on the previously passed Assembly resolution.
Leader of the Opposition DMK Udhayanidhi Stalin recalling the Assembly resolution on delimitation on August 12, urged the Union government to permanently fix the strength of Lok Sabha seats at 543, but Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had not used the word "freeze" while speaking on the issue at the council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
At the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram, CM Vijay underlined the rights of lower riparian states.
Vijay's three requests to home minister
Vijay made three key requests before Union home minister Amit Shah -- one on delimitation, another on NEET and a third on drug control, HT reported earlier.
Addressing the meeting, Vijay sought firm assurance from the Centre that no state would lose parliamentary representation as a result of the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026.
"As the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 Census approaches its end and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, is considered, there is a genuine and shared concern across the Southern States that delimitation based predominantly on populations may diminish our collective voice in Parliament," the Tamil Nadu CM said.
He argued that with the delimitation bill, the southern states should not be penalised for their achievements in population stability, news agency ANI reported.
CM Vijay said the southern states have, from the forefront, achieved population stabilisation, human development, and economic growth.
"These achievements reflect the successful implementation of national priorities and should not result in a reduction of our representation. Public policy must not inadvertently penalise States for fulfilling national objectives," he added.
"I therefore urge the Union Government to provide a clear legislative assurance that no State will suffer a reduction in its percentage of representation in Parliament on account of its success in population stabilisation," Vijay said.
The Tamil Nadu CM said that such an approach would ensure the upholding of the principles of equity, the preservation of the federal balance envisioned by the Indian Constitution, and the reinforcement of the Confidence of all the states in the nation's democratic institutions.
Tamil Nadu, along with Kerala, has consistently voiced concerns about delimitation based on population metrics. This is because southern states have implemented national family planning and population control directives to a larger extent over the last five decades. As a result, their relative population share has grown at a slower pace than that of many northern states.
