On Saturday, The Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation demanded the freeze on the number of Parliamentary constituencies, based on the 1971 Census, be extended for another 25 years.
The committee, at its first meeting held in Chennai on Saturday, adopted a resolution opposing the proposed delimitation exercise for redrawing Lok Sabha constituency boundaries and demanded transparency in the process.
“Any delimitation exercise carried out by the Union Government to improve the content and character of democracy should be carried out transparently, enabling political parties of all the States, State Governments and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss and contribute in it,” stated the resolution.
Delimitation is the process of fixing the boundaries of territorial constituencies. Article 82 of the Constitution states that after every census is completed, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats to each state must be adjusted based on changes in their population.
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.
However, southern states have expressed concern that population-based delimitation could give an undue advantage to northern and central states in the Lok Sabha.
Stalin called on the chief ministers of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, and Punjab to form a joint action committee against the exercise.
The resolution called for ensuring that states that have effectively implemented the population control program and seen a decline in their population share should not be penalized, urging the Union Government to enact necessary constitutional amendments for this purpose.
The Core Committee consisting of Members of Parliament from the represented States will coordinate the parliamentary strategies to counter any attempts by the Union Government to undertake any delimitation exercise contrary to the resolution.
The Core Committee of MPs will submit a Joint Representation on the above lines to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India during the ongoing Parliamentary session.
According to the resolution, the JAC will also undertake necessary efforts to disseminate information on the history and context of past delimitation exercises and the consequences of the proposed delimitation among the citizens of their respective States, through a coordinated public opinion mobilization strategy.
The JAC also expressed its appreciation to the CM of Tamil Nadu “for taking up the initiative to safeguard the political and economic future of performing states in India. “
Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala took to X stating,” The Sangh Parivar is waging an open assault on India’s federal system. By unilaterally enforcing delimitation without consulting states, the BJP-led Union Government seeks to distort representation in Parliament and consolidate power for its political advantage. This is a calculated move to undermine states that have responsibly implemented population control. We must stand together to defend our democracy and its federal principles. Federalism is not a gift from the Union; it is our sovereign right.”
“In the face of the Union government’s attempts to impose an unjust delimitation process that undermines the rights of southern and progressive states, we stand united to protect our democratic values. Fair representation is non-negotiable—this is a fight for equality, justice, and true federalism!” said DMK MP Kani Mozhi.
“As our Hon’ble CM said, we are not against delimitation; We stand for fair delimitation,” she added.
Addressing the meeting, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy alleged that south India would lose political voice if the NDA government at the Centre carried out delimitation on population basis.
“We will not accept delimitation based on population because then states like UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, will dominate the rest of the country. We cannot accept it at any cost,” he said.
Even though, Telangana and other states respect the country’s unity, delimitation based on population cannot be accepted as it will “politically limit us,” he said.
“BJP is reducing the share of states with opposition governments in the Parliament through the new delimitation as part of political vendetta. We oppose this injustice of BJP,” said Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar condemned the proposed delimitation as a political assault on southern states, arguing it penalised those who controlled population growth and drove India’s economy.
“The proposed delimitation exercise is not just unfair—it is a betrayal of constitutional promises. Development and good governance should be rewarded, not paralysed,” he said, stressing Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala’s role in national progress.
Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janta Dal chief Naveen Patnaik, who attended the meeting virtually, emphasized the “injustice of linking parliamentary representation solely to population figures.”
Meanwhile Tamil Nadu BJP held a black-flag protests across the state against the meeting. Addressing the media, state BJP chief Annamalai accused Chief Minister Stalin of doing political drama instead of discussing the state’s rights with other states, especially the issue of garbage dumping from Kerala and Mekedatu and Cauvery river water issue with Karnataka.
Earlier, The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed resolutions against the proposed delimitation process after 2026 and the Union government’s “one nation, one election” proposal.
