The resolution made it clear that the proposed delimitation would severely affect Tamil Nadu and other States that had effectively controlled population growth
Chennai: Demanding a permanent freeze in the number of members in the Lok Sabha, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay moved a resolution in the State Assembly on Wednesday opposing any delimitation of constituencies based on any census taken after 1971.
Also demanding the immediate implementation of the one-third reservation for women in the 2029 Parliament elections itself, the Bill was passed in the House with the majority since the major opposition party, the DMK supported its passage.
Though the DMK had always been opposing delimitation, its support to the Bill moved by theTVK , came as a surprise since the opposition party had not attended the meeting of MPs of ‘all party MPs.’ called by the ruling TVK, with Vijay presiding over it on August 8.
There was a need to freeze the increase of seats in both Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies and maintain them at the level in which they had been kept in the last 50 years since the States, including Tamil Nadu, had implemented schemes to curb population explosion successfully and shown remarkable economic growth.
So the strength of the Lok Sabha should be maintained permanently at 543, based on the population figures of the 1971 census, said the resolution, supported by the Congress, CPI, CPM, IUML, VCK and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi with the AIADMK, PMK and BJP opposing it.
The resolution made it clear that the proposed delimitation would severely affect Tamil Nadu and other States that had effectively controlled population growth
Urging the Centre to permanently retain the existing inter-State distribution of Lok Sabha seats and the current Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio at 2.2:1, the resolution also wanted the 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha election to be based on the present strength of 543 seats, it said.
The resolution mentioned that a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking to lift the 50-year-old freeze on delimitation, undertake delimitation based on the 2011 Census and increase the strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850 members in April 2026 had failed to clear the floor test in Parliament.
Moving the resolution, Vijay sought its unanimous passing by stating that it was not the resolution of one political party but a resolution aimed at protecting the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu permanently.
Stressing on the need for reservation for women in Parliament, Vijay wanted that to be implemented immediately and said that his government, led by the TVK, was a pioneer in giving political power to women.
Many women had managed to become people’s representatives because of the 50 percent reservation for women in local bodies and the time had come to extend the same to Parliament and State legislatures, he said.
