Sravasti Dasgupta 
New Delhi: A day after Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin announced an all-party meeting in the state calling delimitation a “sword” hanging over southern states, Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday (February 26) said that not even a single seat in any southern state will be reduced after delimitation.
Addressing a rally in Coimbatore, Shah said that the Narendra Modi government has made it clear in the Lok Sabha that the delimitation exercise will not result in any reduction of seats for southern states. Tamil Nadu goes to the polls next year.
“Today they are going to conduct a meeting that through delimitation we will not let the South face any injustice. Stalin, Modi government has made it clear in the Lok Sabha that after delimitation on a pro-rata basis, not a single seat in any southern state will be reduced,” Shah said.
“I want to reiterate from the sacred land of Coimbatore, I want to assure every state in the south that Modi has always protected your rights and will ensure that not a single seat is reduced on a pro rata basis and any increase that takes place southern states will get their rightful share there is no need to have any concern related to this,” he added.
While Shah said that the number of seats in southern states will not decrease in a pro-rata basis, the fear in these states remains the increase in population in northern states which is likely to result in them having more seats in relative comparison to the southern states that have over the decades used successful population control measures resulting in shrinking populations.
Shah’s statement comes a day after Stalin announced an all-party meeting for March 5 against delimitation, echoing this fear, saying that southern states must not be penalised for successful population control measures.
“Tamil Nadu is compelled to wage a major battle for its rights. An all-party meeting is being convened on March 5 and we are going to send invitations to over 40 parties from Tamil Nadu registered under the Election Commission of India. The threat of delimitation is hanging over the southern states like the sword,” said Stalin on Monday.
Also read: Why the Future of Indian Democracy Hangs on a Prudent and Pragmatic Approach to Delimitation
“Tamil Nadu, a leader in all HDIs [human development indices] faces a serious danger. The Union government plans to conduct the delimitation exercise on the basis of the 2026 Census. Population control has been a key national objective and Tamil Nadu successfully achieved it. Through effective family planning prioritising women’s education and advancement in healthcare, Tamil Nadu has made remarkable progress over decades. Delimitation will reduce representation in Parliament, while states with larger populations will gain more seats. Tamil Nadu’s voice will be suppressed,” he added.
Stalin said that the fight is not about “the number of MPs” but about “Tamil Nadu’s rights.”
Southern states have been up in arms in recent months over the impending delimitation exercise with both Stalin and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu even calling for people to have more children as fertility rates in southern India remain below the national average.
In 1976, based on the 1971 census figures, a freeze on delimitation was imposed to protect states, which had reduced their population growth rates through family planning, from losing seats to states with higher population growth. In 2001, the freeze was extended to 2026.
The impending delimitation exercise has also sparked concerns as a state’s population significantly influences the allocation of central funds, directly impacting its financial health – a concern that has already been a point of contention between southern states and the Union government.