Amit Shah Assures 'No Reduction in Southern States' Lok Sabha Seats' Amid Delimitation Concerns

Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday assured that no southern state, including Tamil Nadu, would experience a reduction in parliamentary representation due to the delimitation exercise.

The delimitation process, originally scheduled for 2026, determines the number of representatives a state sends to the Lok Sabha based on population.

Photo Credit: PTI

Shah's reassurance, given during a rally in Coimbatore, came a day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin convened an all-party meeting in Chennai on March 5 to discuss the delimitation exercise, which he described as "a sword hanging over southern states".

"I want to reassure the public of South India that Modi ji has kept your interest in mind to make sure that not even one seat is reduced pro rata," Amit Shah stated. "Whatever increase is there, Southern states will get a fair share, there is no reason to doubt this."

During his speech, Shah also refuted CM MK Stalin's claim that the Narendra Modi-led government had been withholding central funds from Tamil Nadu.

"There is no truth in MK Stalin's statement. The Modi government has given ₹5 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu in the last five years," Shah said, according to ANI.

"The chief minister often claims that the state has faced injustice at the hands of the Centre. However, a comparison of funds disbursed under the UPA and NDA reveals that the real injustice happened during the UPA regime," he added.

Amit Shah further asserted that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form a government in Tamil Nadu in 2026.

"Get ready for the formation of an NDA government in Tamil Nadu. In 2026, we will establish an NDA administration. This new government will usher in a new era for Tamil Nadu. We will put an end to nepotism in the state. Corruption will be eradicated in Tamil Nadu..." he said.

MK Stalin on Delimitation

On 25 February, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that the upcoming delimitation of Lok Sabha seats was "a sword hanging over the southern states" as he called an all-party meeting in Chennai on 5 March to address the politically sensitive issue.

The CM noted that 40 registered political parties in the state would be invited to participate in the discussion.

"Tamil Nadu succeeded in population control through the family planning programme. Just because the population is less, there is a situation of the Lok Sabha seats being cut down (in TN). We stand to lose eight seats and as a result, we would be having only 31 MPs, and not 39," he said.

A 2019 analysis by Milan Vaishnaw and Jamie Hintson of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace projected that a delimitation exercise could increase the overall strength of the Lok Sabha to 668, with Uttar Pradesh alone seeing its tally rise from the current 80 to 143 by 2026.

In contrast, Tamil Nadu, which currently has 39 representatives, might see its number rise to just 49, while Kerala, which sends 20 MPs, would see no change.

It is important to note that the Union government has not yet announced a timeline for the delimitation process or the census, which serves as its foundation.