3 min readChennaiAug 9, 2026 06:17 AM IST
First published on: Aug 8, 2026 at 10:24 PM IST
A meeting of Tamil Nadu MPs convened by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Saturday called for permanently freezing the strength of the Lok Sabha at 543 and preserving each state’s existing share of parliamentary representation, even as most of the state’s MPs stayed away amid an escalating political dispute over delimitation.
Only 20 of Tamil Nadu’s 57 MPs — 39 in the Lok Sabha and 18 in the Rajya Sabha — attended the meeting. Thirty-seven MPs boycotted it, including those from the DMK and AIADMK. The PMK, DMDK and MNM also stayed away, while MPs belonging to the Congress, VCK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML and MDMK participated.
The meeting resolved that the Tamil Nadu government should bring a resolution in the Assembly urging the Union government not to proceed with delimitation and instead extend the existing freeze on the number of Lok Sabha constituencies. Such a resolution is likely to be introduced in the Assembly next week.
“Since the delimitation exercise will reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation and importance, it is imperative that MPs work in unison to protect the state’s right,” Vijay was quoted as saying in an official release.
MPs who attended the meeting said Vijay also expressed displeasure over the absence of the DMK and AIADMK.
The participants rejected suggestions that increasing the overall strength of the Lok Sabha could address the concerns of southern states, describing a possible 50 percent expansion as an “illusion intended to sweeten the pill.” Their position goes further: Parliament should remain at 543 elected Lok Sabha seats, and the relative representation of states should not change.
The boycott, however, exposed the political divisions surrounding an issue on which Tamil Nadu’s parties broadly agree: states that successfully reduced population growth should not lose political influence.
DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi called Vijay’s meeting a “political drama” intended to divert attention from the Cauvery dispute and the proposed Mekedatu dam in Karnataka. She said the DMK’s position had already been settled through an earlier all-party process initiated by former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin: the 1971 population should remain the basis for representation for another 30 years after 2026, and Tamil Nadu’s roughly 7.18 percent share should be protected if Parliament is expanded.
Kanimozhi questioned the need for another consultation when no revised legislation had been introduced in the current parliamentary session.
She also sought to turn the argument back on Vijay, asking why his government had not convened an all-party meeting on Mekedatu despite demands from Tamil Nadu parties.
The AIADMK similarly argued that Vijay should have called party leaders for an all-party meeting rather than separately inviting MPs.
For a government completing its politically important first 100 days, the conclave also offered Vijay’s administration an opportunity to set out the economic architecture behind its promise of building a 1.5-trillion USD Tamil Nadu economy by 2036. (Photo - PTI) 
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