Tamil Nadu to pass assembly resolution against delimitation after Vijay's all-party meet

The Tamil Nadu government will bring a resolution in the Legislative Assembly opposing any move to carry out delimitation in the state, following an all-party meeting of MPs chaired by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday. The leaders who attended the meeting agreed to oppose any delimitation exercise and sought continuation of the existing arrangement, arguing that Tamil Nadu could not afford a change in the number of seats held by its elected representatives for at least the next 40 to 50 years. Nineteen MPs participated in the meeting, including representatives of parties in the ruling TVK alliance such as the Congress, VCK, MDMK and IUML, along with friendly parties CPI and CPI(M). The opposition DMK, however, boycotted the consultation.

MPs seek status quo

Congress MP Jothimani backed the Chief Minister's decision to convene the meeting and said her party would not support delimitation. "We will not support delimitation. Chief Minister Vijay has taken a very good step by convening this all-party meeting," she said. Jothimani argued that the exercise could affect the nature of democratic representation and said the Chief Minister had reiterated his commitment to protecting the rights and interests of Tamil Nadu's people. During the meeting, all participating leaders were given an opportunity to express their views, while four of the Congress's 11 MPs spoke.

One of the proposals that emerged during the discussions was for the Tamil Nadu Assembly to pass a formal resolution against delimitation. Congress representatives also raised the need to clearly explain to the public why the state government was opposing an increase in Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats and to spell out the implications and nuances of the proposed changes.

The leaders ultimately favoured maintaining the status quo and agreed that they would not support changes to the existing system of representation. The delimitation issue has emerged as a major political concern in Tamil Nadu amid apprehensions that states which successfully controlled population growth could see their relative representation in Parliament decline if seats are redistributed primarily on the basis of population.

DMK boycotts Vijay's meeting

The DMK stayed away from Saturday's meeting, with party Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi Karunanidhi questioning the priorities of the Vijay government. Kanimozhi instead challenged the Chief Minister to act on Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu dam project, another politically sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu. Vijay, according to the report, expressed disappointment over the DMK's absence, noting that a party which had governed Tamil Nadu for six terms and whose founding leaders had made sacrifices for the state's interests had chosen not to participate in the consultation. The DMK has maintained that it was among the first parties to raise concerns over the impact of delimitation on Tamil Nadu and other southern states. The party has accused the Vijay government of turning the issue into a political exercise.

Despite the political differences, the state government's next step will be to bring the issue before the Assembly through a resolution formally recording Tamil Nadu's opposition to the delimitation exercise.