Vijay seeks Centre’s assurance on southern states’ Lok Sabha representation, faces delimitation backlash

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday sought a “clear legislative assurance” from the Centre that southern states would not lose their share of parliamentary seats because of their success in controlling population growth, triggering a political row in the state.

Vijay made the remarks while addressing the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Mahabalipuram. However, he did not reiterate a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on August 12 that called for the 543 Lok Sabha seats to be permanently frozen and the existing allocation among states to be retained.

“I urge 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,” Vijay said.

He said such a guarantee would ensure fairness, protect the federal balance and strengthen the confidence of states in democratic institutions.

DMK, AIADMK accuse Vijay of U-turn

Vijay’s remarks drew criticism from both the DMK and AIADMK, which accused the TVK-led government of changing its position on delimitation.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai accused Vijay of “flip-flopping” on the issue.

The AIADMK’s IT Wing described the government’s position as a complete “U-turn” and questioned why the Assembly had passed its earlier resolution.

“What you are saying now is exactly the same thing the Union government said. And that is why the AIADMK supported the delimitation bill when it was introduced,” the party said in a social media post.

“Why conduct such a resolution drama just to flip-flop like this?” it asked.

TVK defends Vijay’s remarks

The TVK rejected the criticism, insisting that there had been no change in its position on delimitation.

The party’s IT Wing said Vijay’s speech offered a “broad visionary perspective” aimed at protecting the existing parliamentary representation of southern states that had successfully implemented population-control measures.

It added that the August 12 Assembly resolution set out the issue in “actionable terms” and accused opponents of spreading “misleading opinions” without fully understanding the matter.

Speaking to reporters outside the meeting, Tamil Nadu minister for energy resources and law CTR Nirmalkumar also maintained that the government’s position remained unchanged.

“There is no change in TVK’s stance on the delimitation issue. There is no change in our position that the number of Lok Sabha seats should remain at 543,” he said.