Fri Mar 07 11:07:52 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu CM Rallies Opposition Against Proposed Delimitation Exercise

**Chennai, March 7, 2025** – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is spearheading a multi-state opposition against the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, arguing it unfairly penalizes states that have successfully controlled population growth. Stalin has written to seven Chief Ministers – including Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Bhagwant Mann (Punjab), and Naveen Patnaik (Odisha) – urging them to join a “joint action committee” to fight the initiative.

The Chief Ministers are invited to a meeting in Chennai on March 22nd to strategize a collective response. Stalin contends that the delimitation exercise, using current population data, will disproportionately reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to states like Tamil Nadu while increasing those of other states with larger populations. He argues this constitutes a blatant assault on federalism.

Stalin’s concerns stem from a proposed redistribution of the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats, or even a potential increase to over 800, based on post-2026 population figures. This would disadvantage states that have prioritized population control, he says. He further criticized assurances from Union Home Minister Amit Shah that southern states would not lose seats, arguing that this doesn’t address the issue of other states gaining more seats, thereby diminishing the influence of Tamil Nadu.

This opposition follows an earlier appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to base any delimitation on 1971 population data and freeze it for 30 years. This proposal was part of a resolution passed by Tamil Nadu political parties (excluding the BJP and its allies), which also called for maintaining the current proportion of MPs per state as established by the 1971 census. The ongoing row has even seen DMK leaders encouraging newlyweds to have more children to counteract the potential loss of seats. The issue is expected to become a significant point of contention in the lead up to next year’s Tamil Nadu state elections.

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