Kerala has a long history of controversies over delimitation, with significant political and electoral implications.
Published Mar 21, 2025 | 5:38 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 21, 2025 | 5:38 PM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Synopsis: Amidst allegations of a CPI(M)-BJP nexus, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is attending the anti-delimitation meeting in Chennai. The Left party is supportive of Stalin’s stand, even as the Congress apparently remains undecided on its stand.
Kerala is keenly awaiting Chief Minster Pinarayi Vijayan’s stand at the anti-delimitation Joint Action Committee meeting in Tamil Nadu.
Vijayan has arrived in Chennai to attend the 22 March meeting his Tamil Nadu counterpart MK Stalin has convened against the proposed delimitation. The meeting aims to unify like-minded political parties in opposing the delimitation process, which could disproportionately impact the political representation and resource allocation of South Indian states.
A delegation led by Tamil Nadu Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan received Vijayan in Chennai. The CPI(M) central leadership has granted Vijayan its approval for participating in the meeting, aligning with the party’s stance that any final decision on delimitation should be reached through consensus.
The Left party also supported Stalin’s demand that the concerns of South Indian states must be addressed before any changes are implemented.
The Chennai meeting is expected to set the stage for further deliberations on how southern states can collectively push back against what they perceive as an unfair delimitation process driven by political motivations.
The meeting, set at ITC Grand Chola, aims to address concerns over delimitation favouring northern states if based on current population figures.
Kerala has a long history of controversies over delimitation, with significant political and electoral implications.
Since its formation in 1957, the state’s parliamentary representation has undergone multiple changes. Initially allotted 18 seats, including two-member constituencies for SC/ST representation, the number fluctuated, dropping to 17 in 1962, increasing to 19 in 1967, and finally being at 20 after the 1971 Census, a figure unchanged since 1980.
A major restructuring in 2009, following the 84th Constitutional Amendment, led to the reorganisation of several constituencies. Mukundapuram, Muvattupuzha, Manjeri, Ottappalam, Adoor, and Chirayinkeezhu were replaced by Wayanad, Malappuram, Alathur, Chalakkudy, Mavelikkara, and Attingal.
While most were renamed with altered boundaries, Wayanad was a newly created constituency culled out of Kannur, Manjeri, and Kozhikode. The process sparked allegations that the Congress-led Centre had manipulated the redrawing to regain lost ground after its 2004 electoral wipeout in Kerala.
Beyond politics, Kerala and Tamil Nadu continue to oppose delimitation criteria that could penalise them for successfully implementing population control policies.
Leaders argue that their commitment to social progress should not come at the cost of diminished political representation. As future delimitation discussions arise, these concerns will remain crucial in shaping Kerala’s role in national politics.
When discussions about Tamil Nadu’s JAC meeting arose, Chief Minister Vijayan clarified his stance. He urged the central government to adopt a consensus-driven approach to Lok Sabha constituency delimitation, ensuring no state loses its proportional representation.
He stressed that states that successfully implemented population control should not be penalised, as it would reward those that failed to do so.
Vijayan pointed out that previous constitutional amendments had frozen delimitation to promote family planning and warned that rushing into the process now would undermine this intent. He also questioned the Centre’s claim that South Indian states would receive additional constituencies, demanding clarity on whether the allocation would be based on population or existing seats.
Emphasising the need to protect democracy and federalism, he urged the Centre to address the concerns of South Indian states before proceeding unilaterally.
Binoy Viswam, MP, and the state Secretary of the CPI, told South First that the Centre’s proposed delimitation of constituencies, based on the latest population figures, is designed to diminish the parliamentary representation of states that do not align with its policies.
He argued that states that successfully implemented population control measures in accordance with national policy would be unfairly disadvantaged if constituency boundaries were redrawn using census data.
As Vijayan gears up for the JAC meeting, his words carry weight amid ongoing political debates.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan welcoming Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Kerala House in New Delhi on 12 March
His recent “friendly breakfast” with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has sparked speculation, with Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala questioning its secrecy and alleging a hidden CPI(M)-BJP alliance.
Vijayan, however, dismissed the claims, emphasising Kerala’s right to engage with the Centre while continuing to criticise the central government.
Meanwhile, Sitharaman, in a fiery rebuttal during the Manipur Budget debate, slammed Kerala’s industrial policies, reviving the nokkukooli (or gawking charge) controversy.
She accused the CPI(M) of stifling industry with outdated labor practices and pointed out Vijayan’s admission that nokkukooli once existed. The sharp exchange underscores the CPI(M)’s precarious position, caught between political pragmatism and ideological battles, as the state watches Vijayan’s next move in the JAC meeting.
Amid Stalin’s efforts to unify the opposition, the Congress’s high command remains wary of fully committing to the initiative. Senior leaders A Revanth Reddy and DK Shivakumar, who were invited to the meeting, are awaiting a directive from the party leadership.
With the Bihar elections on the horizon, the AICC is reportedly cautious about the BJP leveraging this issue to paint Congress as anti-North India. This concern is shaping the party’s approach to Stalin’s outreach.
Stalin’s move comes at a critical time when the opposition’s INDIA bloc has shown signs of strain, particularly after the Delhi elections. While his efforts to consolidate opposition voices are being closely watched in Delhi, a senior AICC source told South First that the party views his initiatives as largely regional in scope.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders in the state have remained silent on the JAC meeting and declined to comment.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
