Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday moved a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly opposing the Union Government's proposed delimitation exercise and urging measures to protect the political representation of southern states.
Speaking in the Assembly, CM Vijay said, “The 33 per cent reservation for women should be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections itself, based on the existing 543 constituencies. The 33 per cent reservation for women should not be delayed any further. In Tamil Nadu, more women have voted than men. Providing reservation for women is not a concession; it is a matter of social justice.”
The resolution argues that states such as Tamil Nadu, which have successfully implemented population-control measures, should not face a reduction in their parliamentary representation because of delimitation.
It states that the delimitation of constituencies has not been carried out for the last 50 years and proposes increasing the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly members from 550 to 850 through a constitutional amendment based on the 2011 Census.
The Tamil Nadu government has placed four major demands before the Union government: permanently retain the total number of Lok Sabha members at 543; freeze the inter-state allocation of Lok Sabha seats based on the current proportion of representation; maintain the existing ratio of 2.2:1 between population and states; and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections based on the existing 543 constituencies.
The resolution also said it is the Union Government's “duty” to ensure that southern states that have implemented population-control measures are not adversely affected by delimitation.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the Lok Sabha's strength to 850 seats and expedite the implementation of women's reservation, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16. However, the Bill was not passed after it failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
Opposition parties have supported women's reservation but opposed linking it to the delimitation exercise, demanding that the two issues be delinked.