Overview

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has called for a 30-year status quo on Lok Sabha seat allocation, using the 1971 Census as the basis for delimitation.
• An all-party meeting in Tamil Nadu, excluding the BJP, proposed a Joint Action Committee to coordinate efforts among southern states to prevent reductions in parliamentary seats.
• Southern states argue that delimitation based solely on population penalizes them for successful population control policies while rewarding northern states with higher population growth.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that southern states would not face reduced representation but emphasized that seat increases will follow a pro rata population basis, raising concerns about fairness.
• The delimitation debate underscores broader tensions between northern and southern states over political representation, federalism, and equitable governance.