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Senior leaders from political parties including the CPI(M) in Kerala, YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, Congress in Telangana and Punjab, and BJD in Odisha will be present. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar of the Congress and BRS working president KT Rama Rao are expected…Read More
The meeting is to work on strategies to put pressure on the Narendra Modi government and pass a resolution urging the Centre that the 1971 census be followed from 2026 for the next 30 years, sources said. File pic/PTI
In an attempt to galvanise opposition to the delimitation exercise planned by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre, Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is convening a meeting of opposition leaders, in Chennai on Saturday.
Senior leaders from political parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) in Andhra Pradesh, Congress in Telangana and Punjab, and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha will be present. Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar of the Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao are expected to be at the meeting. Noticeably absent is West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Sources tell CNN-News 18 that DMK president and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin is likely to highlight that states that have done well in curtailing population explosion—as seen in certain states in the north—might lose seats if the delimitation exercise is carried out solely on the basis of population. The meeting is to work on strategies to put pressure on the Narendra Modi government and pass a resolution urging the Centre that the 1971 census be followed from 2026 for the next 30 years, the sources added.
DMK and other parties would aim to extract an assurance that there would be no loss of seats. Following the meeting, a joint press briefing is likely to be scheduled.
In a video released on Friday, MK Stalin said, “Why has the DMK brought this to focus? Because in 2026, delimitation will happen. And if the delimitation exercise is carried out based on population, our representation in Parliament will be severely affected. This is not just about the number of MPs but about our state’s rights. This is why we have convened a meeting of all parties.”
Parties opposed to the delimitation exercise rest their arguments on two issues: they believe that this will create a “regional power imbalance”. Secondly, states that have achieved the set targets in birth control will not get increased representation at the Centre, while the poor performers get to elect more parliamentarians, an argument that Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin has often raised.
“Fair delimitation” is the theme of the meeting, and all the parties who arrived in Chennai to attend are of the view that there is a grave injustice to states that have effectively implemented family planning programmes.
KT Rama Rao said: “If we remain silent now, history will not forgive us. This is not just a political battle but a fight for fairness, justice, and democracy.”
While there is clear political action, it remains to be seen if this will evolve into an electoral issue going forward.
