TN Assembly passes resolution to freeze Lok Sabha seats at 543, demands women's quota now

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution urging the Union government to keep the number of Lok Sabha seats at the existing 543 and retain the current inter-State distribution of seats. The resolution, moved by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, also called for maintaining the current Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio of 2.2:1 while implementing 33% reservation for women in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections based on the present number of seats.

The resolution comes amid deepening concerns in southern India over the proposed delimitation exercise, which is feared to reduce the region's parliamentary representation because of its success in population control. The Assembly also urged that women's reservation, already mandated by the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023, should not be linked to the census and delimitation process.

Moving the resolution, Chief Minister Vijay said it reflected the concerns of women in every family. He highlighted that Tamil Nadu had produced many women of distinction from the Sangam era to the present day. "We must create opportunities for women to advance in politics. Reservation for women is not a concession. It is a matter of social justice and a constitutional right," he said.

The Chief Minister pointed out that women constitute nearly half of India's population and should get equal status at all levels. He noted that while voter turnout among women in Tamil Nadu was higher than that of men, political representation remained low. In the previous Assembly, there were only 12 women among 234 MLAs, and the number has now risen to 23. "Even though the number has nearly doubled, there has not been a significant increase in percentage terms," he added.

Referring to the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, which provides for one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, Mr. Vijay said the Centre had linked its implementation to the population census and a subsequent delimitation exercise. He noted that the Union government introduced the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2026, and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, but the latter failed to get the required two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026.

"Although a law providing one-third reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies has been passed, the delay in implementing it could leave the objective unfulfilled for years. This amounts to denying women their political rights," the Chief Minister said.

He also raised concerns about the proposed delimitation, stating that a meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs on August 8 had noted that even a 50% increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats per State would be followed by a reorganisation based on the 2026 Census. This, he said, could lead to a substantial decline in the number of parliamentary representatives from southern States.

"This would result in a major political representational injustice to Tamil Nadu and other southern States that have successfully implemented population-control measures," Mr. Vijay said.

Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, in his response, said the DMK was the first party in India to flag the dangers of the proposed delimitation. He recalled the efforts of former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin over the past two years, including holding an all-party meeting, writing to Chief Ministers and party leaders across States, and forming a Joint Action Group for Fair Delimitation with the five southern States.

Mr. Udhayanidhi also said that on April 16, 2026, M.K. Stalin had burnt the Delimitation Bill, and the DMK played a key role in ensuring its defeat in Parliament. He reiterated that the DMK's position was to extend the current status quo for more than 25 years.