Stalin Writes To Siddaramaiah On Delimitation As They Look To Rally Forces For March 22 Chennai Meet

Last Updated:March 12, 2025, 23:04 IST

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has accepted the invitation, but will not attend in person due to his ongoing recovery from a knee injury. Instead, he will send a representative from his cabinet to ensure Karnataka is represented in the meeting

MK Stalin (L) and Siddaramaiah (R). File pic/PTI

Tamil Nadu chief minister (CM) MK Stalin has been gathering southern leaders against the upcoming delimitation exercise, which is expected to reduce the political influence of states that have controlled their population growth. As part of this effort, Stalin has invited his Karnataka counterpart, Siddaramaiah, to join the fight.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has accepted the invitation, but will not attend in person due to his ongoing recovery from a knee injury. Instead, he will send a representative from his cabinet to ensure Karnataka is represented in the meeting.

With the 2021 census delayed and 2026 nearing, the delimitation issue has already turned into a major political flashpoint. Stalin’s proposed March 22 meeting aims to unite southern states against what many see as an unfair redistribution of Lok Sabha seats. “We must chart a collective course forward," Stalin said, underlining the urgency of the matter.

Extending his support to the southern states’ resistance against delimitation, Siddaramaiah criticised the Centre’s move, calling it detrimental to Karnataka’s interests. “This weakens democracy and violates the federal principles of the Constitution," he said, adding, “Karnataka has made its stand clear—we will support the struggle against this injustice."

STALIN’S LETTER

Stalin, in his three-page letter to Siddaramaiah, which was personally handed over by Tamil Nadu forest minister Dr L Ponnumudi and Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Abdullah’s Ismail, warned that post 2026, the political landscape could shift drastically if seats are reallocated based on the next census. “States that controlled their population growth and achieved superior governance indicators will be punished with reduced representation in the very forum where national policies are decided," he wrote.

Stalin reached out to Siddaramaiah with two specific requests. First, he sought Karnataka’s formal consent to join a Joint Action Committee (JAC), which would bring together states from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in the South, to West Bengal, Odisha, and Punjab in the North.

Second, he requested the nomination of a senior Congress representative to serve on the JAC and help coordinate a unified strategy.

Stalin also proposed an inaugural meeting in Chennai on March 22 to set the agenda for collective action. “This moment demands leadership and collaboration—rising above political differences to stand for the greater good," he wrote, adding, “This is not just about an abstract principle. It is about our states’ ability to secure rightful resources, influence crucial policies on education and healthcare, and ensure our economic priorities receive due attention in the national agenda. We must stand together—not as separate political entities, but as protectors of our people’s future."

WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY?

Population growth has not been uniform across India. Northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have grown faster than southern states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

If seats are reallocated based on the 2026 census, northern states will gain more seats, while southern and smaller northern states may lose political influence.

There is debate over whether to keep the total seats at 543, but redistribute them among states or increase the total seats to 848, giving more seats to all states.

In both cases, southern states, smaller northern states such as Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the northeast are likely to lose out. This raises concerns about fairness, as states that controlled their population well may end up with less representation. It also goes against the original idea of freezing seats based on the 1971 census.

WHAT IS DELIMITATION?

Delimitation is the process of deciding the number of seats and redrawing constituency boundaries for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. It also determines how many seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). This is done by a Delimitation Commission, set up under a law passed by Parliament. The exercise was carried out after the 1951, 1961, and 1971 Census.

However, in 1976, the process was frozen through the 42nd Amendment until the first census after 2000 to encourage population control. “As population disparities continued to persist, the 84th Constitutional Amendment further extended the freeze until the first census after 2026," Stalin said.

WHY DELIMITATION IS IMPORTANT

The Constitution requires that the number of Lok Sabha and assembly seats be adjusted after every census. However, to promote population control, the number of seats was frozen based on the 1971 census, first until 2000 and then extended to 2026. This means that for over five decades, seat distribution has remained unchanged despite population growth.

The freeze was meant to prevent states with higher population growth from gaining more seats, ensuring that states with better population control were not penalised. The next seat adjustment is expected after 2026, based on the first census after that year.

News politics Stalin Writes To Siddaramaiah On Delimitation As They Look To Rally Forces For March 22 Chennai Meet