Overview
- A meeting of Tamil Nadu Members of Parliament convened by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay met on Saturday and failed to produce a common position after several major parties skipped the session.
- Congress leaders Karti P. Chidambaram and P. Chidambaram warned that using population as the sole criterion or uniformly expanding Lok Sabha seats would reduce Tamil Nadu’s relative and absolute influence and could widen the north–south seat gap.
- The DMK has formally demanded a fresh 25-year freeze on delimitation from 2026 to preserve the state’s current share of Lok Sabha seats and prevent a population penalty for successful family‑planning policies.
- The BJP responded that delimitation is a constitutionally mandated, nationwide exercise under Articles 82 and 170 and said the process must be conducted fairly and transparently, rejecting claims of a targeted conspiracy.
- If Parliament proceeds, critics warn redrawing boundaries could enable gerrymandering and that a large increase in MPs would strain parliamentary debate; the dispute will determine whether remedies will be a freeze, non‑population criteria, or seat expansion.