Kathmandu— A coalition of approximately 21 lawmakers from various political parties met in Chennai on Saturday to form a united front against the central government's proposed delimitation exercise, which they argue threatens to diminish Tamil Nadu's political influence in Parliament. Chaired by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at Kalaivanar Arangam, the consultation brought together representatives from the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), MDMK, and IUML to demand that the current parliamentary seat distribution remain untouched despite potential population-based redrawing of constituencies.

Demands For Parliamentary Freeze

The assembled lawmakers reached a unanimous consensus that any redrawing of constituencies based on population could strip Tamil Nadu of its current political weight. Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram emphasized that the state's parliamentary representation must remain completely untouched to preserve its role in the Parliament of India.

Chidambaram argued that any formula based on population or a uniform increase would diminish the state's influence. He stated that the coalition's goal is to keep the Parliament frozen at its current capacity of 543 seats, ensuring Tamil Nadu maintains its existing allocation of 39 Lok Sabha members.

Concerns Over Demographic Penalties

The pushback from Tamil Nadu is rooted in fears of a 'demographic penalty' following the post-2026 census data. Because southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have successfully implemented national family planning and population control guidelines, their population growth has been slower than that of several northern states.

Under a strict population-proportional seat allocation model, southern states fear they will be penalized for their demographic success, as states with surging populations would gain a disproportionately higher share of Lok Sabha seats, thereby diluting the federal leverage of the south.

Absence Of Major Regional Parties

Despite the call for unity, the meeting was marked by the absence of major regional players, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The DMK, which holds 22 Lok Sabha and 8 Rajya Sabha seats, along with the PMK and DMDK, opted to boycott the session.

Congress MP Praveen Chakraborty criticized the decision of the DMK and AIADMK to skip the meeting, noting that the parties which have governed the state for multiple terms failed to participate in a session intended to defend the rights of the people. Congress MP Vishnu Prasad added that the absence of these parties and their allies suggests their priorities may differ from the immediate concerns of the state's representation.

The coalition remains committed to resisting any changes to the total number of seats or the current distribution of Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation.

(With inputs from ANI)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.