Lok Sabha delimitation: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin proposes Centre stick to 1971 census

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday proposed a Joint Action Committee comprising of MPs and party representatives from southern states at an all-party meeting on Lok Sabha seats delimitation.

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Moving a resolution, Stalin demanded that the Centre stick to the 1971 census in case it plans to proceed with delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies in 2026.

The current constitutional position is that delimitation will be frozen until 2026 and will be based on the census conducted after that year.

The resolution, which Stalin moved at a meeting he convened in Chennai today to discuss delimitation, urged a constitutional amendment to ensure that the next delimitation exercise is based on the 1971 population figures, arguing that southern states, including Tamil Nadu, could be penalised for controlling population.

The resolution recalled that late Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to conduct delimitation based on the 1971 census and said the same formula be followed in future, sealing it for the next 30 years.

While the BJP and Tamil Manila Congress skipped the meeting, the BJP ally PMK, AIADMK, and other major state parties, including the Congress and VCK, attended.

Chief ministers of Congress-led Telangana and Karnataka, Revanth Reddy and Siddaramaiah, respectively, also backed the 1971 census as a benchmark for delimitation.

The current constitutional position maintains that delimitation will not occur until the first census after 2026. This position flows from the 84^th amendment of the Constitution, passed when late Atal Bihari Vajpayee led the NDA government.

Opposition concerns regarding delimitation extend beyond dilution in Lok Sabha representation. Since Rajya Sabha representation is based on population, the next delimitation exercise could significantly alter the number of Upper House MPs from states that have reached replacement-level fertility, mainly south Indian states.

Many north Indian states on the contrary would be witnessing a rise in the population until 2026, leading to a larger share of Rajya Sabha MPs after the next delimitation. The Lok Sabha chamber in the newly built Parliament House complex is designed to accommodate 888 MPs, anticipating the pending delimitation exercise. Currently, the Lok Sabha has a strength of 543.