PRESS RELEASE A consultative meeting on constituency delimitation, attended by Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, was held under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru S. Joseph Vijay A consultative meeting on constituency delimitation, attended by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Members from Tamil Nadu, was held today (8.8.2026) at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai, under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru S. Joseph Vijay. All 57 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Members from Tamil Nadu were invited to attend this meeting. 19 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Members took part, belonging to the Indian National Congress (11), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (2), Communist Party of India (2), Communist Party of India (Marxist) (2), Indian Union Muslim League (1) and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1). Detailed discussions were held at this meeting on the constituency delimitation proposed by the Union Government. Extensive deliberations took place on protecting the parliamentary representation of Tamil Nadu and other southern states — which successfully implemented population control measures — from being adversely affected; on continuing Tamil Nadu's present parliamentary representation; and on the measures to be taken in this regard. At this meeting, the Members of Parliament noted that even with the present strength of 543 Lok Sabha members, each member gets very limited time to speak in Parliament, and that increasing the number of members would create further difficulties in fully expressing their views. They also pointed out that in countries such as the United States, the number of parliamentary members has not been increased in proportion to population growth. Since delimitation would adversely affect the representation and importance of Tamil Nadu and the southern states, it was demanded that all parties work together to permanently freeze the number of Lok Sabha seats and the delimitation exercise at the present level, to continue the existing arrangement, to safeguard Tamil Nadu's rights in Parliament, and to vote against the Union Government's proposed constitutional amendment and new bill on delimitation. It was further pointed out that since the southern states' parliamentary representation is likely to decrease under Article 81(2)(a) of the Constitution after the 2026 population census, the legislative proposal should be opposed in Parliament. Views were also expressed that the Delimitation Commission, being vested with sweeping powers, its authority should ultimately rest with Parliament to finalise. Members of Parliament described the suggestion of increasing the Lok Sabha seats of all states by up to 50% as a misleading illusion meant to placate the public ("a 50% increase of existing Lok Sabha seats is an illusion to sweeten the pill"). During the meeting, all Members of Parliament stressed that, since implementing the proposed delimitation exercise would adversely affect the representation rights of Tamil Nadu and other southern states that successfully implemented population control measures, the present strength of 543 Lok Sabha members should be permanently retained, the inter-state seat distribution should be permanently fixed, and the necessary and appropriate legislative amendments to this effect should be brought before Parliament. They further stated that the present Lok Sabha to Rajya Sabha ratio of 2.2:1 should be maintained, and that any change to this would severely affect the representation of the states. Following this, it was unanimously resolved that the Government would move a separate resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly to permanently safeguard the rights of Tamil Nadu and the southern states. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu appealed to Members of Parliament of all parties that, since Tamil Nadu's representation and importance would be adversely affected by delimitation, the increase in the number of parliamentary seats and the delimitation exercise should be abandoned, the present position should continue, and all parties should work together to uphold Tamil Nadu's rights. The meeting was attended by Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources Thiru N. Anand, Hon'ble Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Thiru Aadhav Arjuna, Hon'ble Minister for Energy and Law Thiru C.D.R. Nirmal Kumar, Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity Thiru Rajmohan, senior Indian National Congress leader, former Union Minister and Member of Parliament Thiru P. Chidambaram, Indian National Congress state president and Member of Parliament Thiru Manickam Tagore, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi president and Member of Parliament Dr. Thol. Thirumavalavan, Communist Party of India Member of Parliament Thiru K. Subbarayan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Member of Parliament Thiru S. Venkatesan, Indian Union Muslim League Member of Parliament Thiru K. Navas Kani, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Member of Parliament Thiru Durai Vaiko, and other Members of Parliament of the above parties, Chief Secretary Dr. M. Vaikundam, IAS, and other senior government officials. •••••••••• Released by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9