Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Union government to introduce constitutional amendments that would permanently fix the strength of the Lok Sabha at 543 members. In his letter sent on Thursday, the Chief Minister highlighted a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly regarding the proposed delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies.
The resolution strongly advocates keeping the existing distribution of Lok Sabha seats across all states unchanged. Quoting the assembly's position, Vijay emphasised that the overall membership of the House of the People ought to remain set at 543, with individual state allocations frozen at their current levels. Enclosing a copy of the official resolution, he called on the Prime Minister to consider the assembly's decision and bring forward the required constitutional amendments.
During the assembly's discussions on Wednesday, lawmakers raised concerns that southern states stand to lose parliamentary representation after the census if seat distribution continues to strictly follow population figures under Article 81(2)(a). The assembly cited the precedent of 1967, when Tamil Nadu's representation in the Lok Sabha was reduced from 41 seats to 39. Members argued that any new delimitation exercise based on post-1971 population numbers would penalise southern states that have effectively implemented population control policies while making significant strides in public welfare, economic progress, and healthcare.
In addition to seat preservation, the letter highlighted the assembly's call for a 33 per cent reservation for women to be enforced in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and subsequent state assembly polls. Overall, Vijay urged the Centre to take action on three core fronts: fixing the total Lok Sabha membership at 543, maintaining the current state-wise seat allocations, and granting women a one-third quota in the next round of general and state elections.
Also read: South fears seat loss: Vijay’s three demands on delimitation
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