Tamil Nadu’s concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise took centre stage on Saturday (August 8), as a meeting of MPs convened by chief minister C. Joseph Vijay sought to retain both the Lok Sabha’s present strength of 543 seats and the existing distribution of seats among States.

The meeting, however, exposed divisions within the State’s political opposition, with the DMK and AIADMK staying away.

Held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, the meeting resolved that the Tamil Nadu Assembly should pass a resolution urging the protection of the State’s parliamentary representation and the interests of southern States.

An official release issued after the meeting said participating MPs agreed that political parties should oppose and vote against any Constitutional Amendment Bill seeking to alter the current allocation of Lok Sabha seats.

They also opposed granting sweeping powers to the Delimitation Commission, arguing that Parliament should retain the final authority over such changes.

The issue has gained significance in southern States amid concerns that a delimitation based on more recent population figures could increase the parliamentary representation of populous States while reducing the relative share of States such as Tamil Nadu.

Southern States have argued that they should not lose political representation because of the success of population-control measures adopted over several decades.

However, the meeting drew limited participation from Tamil Nadu’s 57 MPs. The State has 39 Lok Sabha and 18 Rajya Sabha members, but only 19 attended, according to The Hindu. The DMK, AIADMK, PMK, DMDK and Makkal Needhi Maiam boycotted the gathering.

The DMK objected to Vijay organising a separate meeting instead of joining the all-party process initiated by former chief minister M.K. Stalin. DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi called the meeting a “political drama”, The News Minute reported.

The DMK has demanded that the 1971 Census continue to serve as the basis for parliamentary representation for another 30 years beyond 2026. It has also maintained that if the size of the Lok Sabha is increased, Tamil Nadu's existing share of around 7.18% should remain protected.

The AIADMK, meanwhile, criticised the format of the meeting, arguing that Vijay should have convened party leaders for an all-party consultation rather than inviting MPs individually.

Among those who attended were MPs belonging to the Congress, VCK, CPI (M), CPI, IUML and MDMK. Congress MP R. Sudha could not attend because of party-related work in Karnataka.

CPI (M) MP Su. Venkatesan questioned the suggestion that every State would receive a 50% increase in representation, saying the delimitation Bill introduced in Parliament in April did not support such a claim. He described the suggestion as a “deceptive ploy”.

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said Tamil Nadu’s 39 Lok Sabha seats must be protected and argued that merely expanding the strength of the House to 815 or 850 members would not address the State’s concerns.

VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan opposed both a proposed 50% increase in the number of MPs and redistribution based on population. MDMK principal secretary Durai Vaiko said the existing arrangement should continue and any alteration would require a Constitutional Amendment Bill, according to The Hindu.

The meeting has therefore highlighted not only Tamil Nadu’s resistance to any population-based redistribution of parliamentary seats but also competing political approaches within the State over how the issue should be taken forward.