"The Union government's plan for delimitation is a blatant assault on federalism, punishing states that ensured population control and good governance by stripping away our rightful voice in Parliament," Stalin said.
Published Mar 07, 2025 | 6:31 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 07, 2025 | 6:31 PM
MK Stalin speaking at the all-party meeting on delimitation.
Synopsis: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has invited his counterparts from West Bengal, Punjab, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Kerala, and senior leaders of non-ruling parties in these states to a meeting on 22 March against the Centre’s 2026 delimitation plan.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday, 7 March, has invited his counterparts from seven states to a meeting in Chennai for a united action against the Centre’s delimitation plan.
The invitees included Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi of the BJP, and Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP, a BJP ally.
In an X post, Stalin said he had invited them to the 22 March meeting to form a “Joint Action Committee (JAC) to defend our states from being silenced”.
Chief ministers Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Bhagwant Mann of Punjab, A Revanth Reddy of Telangana, Siddaramaiah of Karnataka, and Pinarayi Vijayan of Kerala, too, have been invited, besides senior representatives of major political parties, including the BJP, in these seven states.
“The Union Govt’s plan for #Delimitation is a blatant assault on federalism, punishing States that ensured population control & good governance by stripping away our rightful voice in Parliament,” Stalin noted on X.
He urged the leaders to “stand together not as separate political entities but as protectors of our people’s future”.
In the invitation letter, Stalin said the essence of India’s democracy rests on its federal character a system that gives each state its rightful voice while honoring the sacred unity as one nation.
“Today, I write with urgency as this balance faces a profound threat that could permanently diminish the influence of states like ours in shaping our nation’s future,” he said.
Recalling the previous delimitation exercises, the Tamil Nadu chief minister said with the 2021 census delayed, the delimitation exercise originally expected after the 2031 census could now take place much earlier than anticipated.
“This acceleration gives us very little time to protect our interests. The question is no longer if delimitation will happen, but when and whether it will honor the contributions of states that have advanced our national priorities. Post-2026, the situation may become drastically skewed if the exercise is conducted as per the next census population,” the letter read.
The Union Govt's plan for #Delimitation is a blatant assault on federalism, punishing States that ensured population control & good governance by stripping away our rightful voice in Parliament. We will not allow this democratic injustice!
I have written to Hon'ble Chief… pic.twitter.com/1PQ1c5sU2V
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) March 7, 2025
“Those states which controlled their population and achieved superior governance indicators will face an unjust punishment reduced representation in the very forum where national policies are determined. Once implemented, this democratic imbalance could persist for decades, leaving our states with diminished capacity to advocate our people’s interests, secure rightful resources and influence critical national decisions,” he continued.
Stalin said he was not against delimitation. “What we oppose is its weaponisation against states that fulfilled their national duties, thus punishing progress.”
He raised concern over the reported two possible delimitation approaches: Redistribute among states the existing 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, or raise the number of seats beyond 800.
“In both scenarios, all the states that have successfully implemented population control measures stand to lose significantly if the exercise is based on post 2026 population. We should not be thus penalised for effectively controlling population growth and upholding national development goals,” Stalin said in the letter.
He decried the Union government providing “neither clarity nor any concrete commitment to address our concerns. Their representatives have vaguely stated that delimitation would follow a ‘pro-rata’ basis, without explaining the base used for such pro-rata calculation as well as raising an empty rhetoric that no state will face a decrease in its seats”.
“When the very foundation of our democracy is at stake, can we accept such vague assurances? When our states’ futures hang in the balance, do we not deserve transparent dialogue,” he asked.
Stalin said an all-party meeting he had convened in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, 5 March, decided to form a JAC.
“I believe this issue (delimitation exercise) transcends individual state concerns as it strikes at the heart of our federal principles. Together, we must examine the constitutional, legal, and political dimensions of this challenge. We must jointly develop alternatives that preserve our current representation in percentage terms,” he said.
The 5 March meeting in Chennai saw the participation of 56 political parties, including the AIADMK and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), while five others, including the BJP, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), and Tamil Maanila Congress boycotted it.
The discussions revolved around the potential impact of delimitation on Tamil Nadu’s political representation, despite the absence of any official announcement from the Union government.
