TVK Slams Centre’s Delimitation Bill, Warns of Southern States Losing Voice in Parliament

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, has sharply criticised the Union Government's proposed delimitation exercise, describing it as a discriminatory move that would marginalise southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu.

According to sources, the Centre has put forward a plan to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from the current 543 to 850. Of these, 815 seats would be allocated to the states, while 35 would be reserved for Union Territories. The government is also reportedly considering de-linking the delimitation process from the 2027 census, a departure from past practice.

The proposal forms part of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which is expected to be tabled during a special session of Parliament beginning tomorrow. The Bill requires a two-thirds majority to pass, meaning the ruling party will need support from the Opposition. However, the absence of a quota-within-quota provision for Other Backward Class (OBC) women has already emerged as a contentious issue, raising doubts about whether the government can secure the necessary backing.

In a strongly worded statement, TVK welcomed the separate Bill providing 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament, but warned that the delimitation proposal would deepen regional imbalances. "If the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 is passed, the proportional disparity between the representation of southern states and northern states will increase significantly," the party declared.

TVK argued that such an outcome would have far-reaching consequences. It warned that in matters relating to language, culture, state rights, and national policymaking, the voices of southern states would be diminished, while northern states would gain disproportionate influence. "As a result, the demands of the people of southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu, will go unheard in Parliament. This is a discriminatory action by the Union Government," the statement read.

The party went further, accusing the Centre of effectively punishing states like Tamil Nadu that have adhered to Union Government directives on population control, while rewarding those that have not. "The passage of this Bill appears to impose a 'punishment' on a state that has adhered to the Union Government's announcement for generations, while offering a 'reward' to states that have not followed it," TVK said.

Financial allocations were also highlighted as a potential area of concern. TVK noted that changes in the number of constituencies would inevitably affect the distribution of funds to states. Tamil Nadu has long accused the Centre of short-changing it in budgetary allocations, and the party warned that population-based schemes could suffer further cuts if the Bill were enacted.

"In such a situation, after the constituencies are redelimited, there is a likelihood that funding for population-based schemes will further decrease," the statement cautioned. Vijay's party urged the Union Government to abandon the proposal, insisting that the existing system should be maintained to safeguard the interests of southern states.

As Parliament prepares to debate the Bill, the Centre faces mounting opposition not only from TVK but also from other regional parties wary of losing influence. The coming days are likely to see heated exchanges, with the government under pressure to balance its ambition for expanded representation with the need to preserve federal equity.