The opposition’s Joint Action Committee (JAC) on delimitation, headed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, adopted a resolution demanding transparency in the exercise and urged the Union Government to extend the freeze on parliamentary constituencies based on the 1971 Census for another 25 years.

Advertisment

The meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) was held in Chennai on Saturday (Mar 22), where the panel adopted a resolution opposing any delimitation exercise that lacks transparency and fails to involve key stakeholders.

The meeting was attended by representatives from multiple states concerned about the impact of the upcoming delimitation on their political and economic future.
The JAC called for a fair and open process with participation from all state governments, political parties, and other relevant stakeholders before making any changes to parliamentary constituencies in the proposed delimitation exercise.

Also Read | Samajwadi Party MP calls Rajput king Rana Sanga a ‘traitor’; draws sharp criticism

Other prominent leaders in attendance included Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and representatives from YSRCP, Congress, CPI(M), and CPI. Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik joined the JAC meeting virtually.

The JAC expressed concern that states that successfully implemented population control measures over the years might be unfairly penalised if their parliamentary representation is reduced due to a falling population share.
The leaders said that the freeze on parliamentary constituencies based on the 1971 Census was meant to protect and incentivise states that took effective steps to stabilise population growth. Since the intended population goal has not yet been achieved, they called for extending the freeze by another 25 years.

Advertisment

“The states that have effectively implemented the population control programme and consequently whose population share has come down should not be penalised,” the resolution read.

Also Read | Nagpur violence: Maharashtra CM vows to recover cost of damage from rioters, gives 'bulldozer action warning'

The leaders also decided that a Core Committee of Members of Parliament from the participating states will coordinate strategies within Parliament to counter any delimitation proposal that does not align with these principles.

Advertisment

Stressing that the delimitation exercise must uphold the principles of federalism and democracy, the committee will submit a joint representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing parliamentary session as part of its action plan. Political parties from the states will push for legislative resolutions in their respective assemblies, officially communicating their stance to the Union Government.

‘South not losing seats doesn’t mean northern states won't gain’: KTR

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao raised concerns over what he called the possibility of a “disproportionate increase in number of seats” in the Lok Sabha and assemblies of some populous northern states after delimitation.
He cautioned that after a population-based delimitation, three-four states could end up determining the political roadmap for the whole country.

“Those states that have had explosive population growth despite the government of India’s prescription, today cannot be asked to run the country and decide the future course of action for the country. What we are proposing is a fair delimitation,” KTR told NDTV after the meeting in Chennai got over.
“Southern states do not lose [seats] does not mean that northern states will not gain disproportionately. That’s the concern, that the south may nominally see an increase in seats, but the north may get a disproportionate (number of seats),” KTR told NDTV.

Also Read | Study ignites fresh hope for the bald, ‘sugar gel’ triggers healthy hair regrowth

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured southern states that they won’t lose even a single seat, rather they will gain seats on a pro-rata basis.
Stalin said the next meeting on the delimitation of constituencies will be held in Telangana’s Hyderabad.