Overview
- DMK leaders staged statewide black-flag protests Thursday as Parliament opened a special session to take up bills linked to a constituency redraw.
- M.K. Stalin burned a copy of the proposed Delimitation Bill in Namakkal and hoisted a black flag at his home, calling the plan a “black law.”
- Udhayanidhi Stalin and DMK candidates wore black and burned bill copies in Madurai, accusing the Centre of trying to shrink Tamil Nadu’s representation.
- Government plans under discussion include a Constitution amendment and a Delimitation Bill tied to 33% women’s reservation, with reports pointing to a 2011 Census-based redraw and a Lok Sabha expanded to about 850 seats, including roughly 35 for Union Territories.
- Delimitation has been frozen since the 1971 Census, so a shift to newer data could move seats toward faster-growing states and reduce southern states’ share if Parliament enacts the changes.