DMK questions Vijay Govt's 'U-turn' on Delimitation
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "DMK questions Vijay Govt's 'U-turn' on Delimitation")
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister S Joseph Vijay at the 31st Southern Regional Council Meeting at Mahabalipuram, in Chengalpattu on Thursday. Photograph: (ANI)
In response to the points raised by Chief Minister Vijay, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran pointed out that the Vijay Government had recently passed an Assembly resolution against Delimitation, which had totally opposed Delimitation and demanded a freeze on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats.
Tamil Nadu's Principal opposition party DMK has questioned Chief Minister Vijay's alleged change in stance on the crucial political and constitutional issue of Delimitation. This comes after Chief Minister Vijay put forth his government's view on various issues during the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.
The meeting chaired by Home Minister Shah was attended by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor Admiral (Retd.) DK Joshi, Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel, and the Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu.
What Chief Minister Vijay spoke regarding Delimitation
On the issue of Delimitation, Vijay said that there was growing concern among southern states that population-based delimitation would diminish the southern states' collective voice in Parliament. He stated that this comes at a time when the freeze on allocation of Lok Sabha seats based on the 1971 census approaches its end and the Delimitation Bill 2026 is being considered.
"The Southern States have been at the forefront of 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," Vijay stated.
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Further, he urged 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. Such an approach would uphold the principles of equity, preserve the federal balance envisioned by our Constitution, and reinforce the confidence of all States in our democratic institutions.
Questions raised by DMK
In response to the points raised by Chief Minister Vijay, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran pointed out that the Vijay Government had recently passed an Assembly resolution against Delimitation, which had totally opposed Delimitation and demanded a freeze on the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats. Further, the DMK questioned why the Vijay Government had gone from "No Delimitation" to "no state should suffer a reduction in its percentage of Parliamentary representation". DMK says this is a U-Turn by Vijay Govt. DMK questioned why Vijay had changed his stance after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah, and whether Vijay had gotten afraid or whether he had switched from the Congress alliance to the BJP alliance.
Earlier this month, when India's leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had visited Chennai, he mentioned that those backing Delimitation or Fair Delimitation are betraying the interests of Tamil Nadu. This was seen as a veiled dig at the DMK.
As the debate on Delimitation raged on in Tamil Nadu, the DMK maintained that it would oppose any legislation that would affect Tamil Nadu's interests and representation, but it would back Delimitation if Tamil Nadu's representation remained at the existing 7.18%. However, the DMK has also maintained that there is no need to debate Delimitation when it was not being tabled in Parliament and that they would take a final stance only after detailed scrutiny of its implications. In April 2026, the DMK played a lead role in defeating the Delimitation Bill in Parliament, citing strong objections to population-based Delimation and how it would reduce the representation of Southern states that effectively controlled the population.
