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NEW DELHI: DMK on Wednesday supported the Tamil Nadu government’s resolution opposing the Centre’s proposed delimitation exercise, with Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin saying the state’s representation in the Lok Sabha should not be reduced.He said the number of Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu should not be reduced in the name of delimitation and called for the exercise to be deferred for 25 years.“In the name of constituency delimitation, the number of Members of Parliament should not be reduced. Our stand is that constituency delimitation should not be carried out for the next 25 years. We welcome the resolution on the 33% reservation for women. Our firm stand is that Tamil Nadu should not be affected by constituency delimitation. The movement that first told India what the impact of delimitation would be is the DMK,” Udhayanidhi added.The development comes after Tamil Nadu assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution in the state Assembly opposing the Union government’s proposed delimitation exercise.Speaking in the assembly, CM Vijay also called for the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections based on the existing 543 constituencies.“The 33% reservation for women should be implemented in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections itself, based on the existing 543 constituencies. The 33% 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 33% reservation for women must be implemented without any further delay,” he said.The resolution seeks to safeguard the political representation of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, arguing that their success in controlling population growth should not result in reduced representation in Parliament.“All the states including Tamil Nadu and the people / elected representatives of the union territories have not had their population counted for more than 50 years. The next census to count the population was supposed to be held in 2026. Therefore, since the delimitation of constituencies has not been carried out for the last 50 years, based on the 2011 population census, the constituencies should be delimited and the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly members should be increased from 550 to 850 by bringing in a constitutional amendment Bill,” the resolution stated.
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The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16, proposing to increase the strength of the Lower House to 850 seats and expedite the implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in 2023. However, the Bill failed to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting and was not passed.While the Congress and other opposition parties have supported the Women’s Reservation Bill, they have opposed the proposed delimitation exercise and called for an increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats. The Opposition has also demanded that women’s reservation be delinked from delimitation.
