TN Assembly adopts resolution urging freeze on Lok Sabha seats, seeks women’s quota within 543 seats

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution opposing a fresh delimitation exercise and urged the Union government to permanently retain the current 543 Lok Sabha seats, while implementing 33% reservation for women within that existing strength from the next general election. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and backed by the principal opposition, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Assembly action and party positions

The voice vote in the House endorsed the resolution after the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led coalition presented the demand that the inter‑state distribution of seats be left unchanged. While the DMK supported the move, members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a DMK ally, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), opposed the resolution. Three prominent AIADMK legislators — S P Velumani, Natham R. Viswanathan and C. Ve. Shanmugam — were absent from the House when the resolution was taken up. The resolution argued that a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census would permanently reduce representation for states such as Tamil Nadu which, the House said, had effectively controlled population growth.

• The Assembly asked the Centre to keep the total number of Lok Sabha seats at 543 permanently.
• It sought implementation of 33% reservation for women within the existing 543 seats from the next Lok Sabha election.
• The resolution demanded that the inter‑state distribution of Lok Sabha seats remain unchanged.

What leaders said

Chief Minister Vijay, who moved the resolution, urged members across party lines to support it, describing the measure as necessary to "safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights permanently" and warning that a delimitation based on dated population figures would diminish the State’s representation in Parliament.

“This is not a political party’s resolution. It is a resolution to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s rights permanently. I appeal to all members, cutting across political lines and differences, to support it,” Vijay said in the Assembly.

Opposition Leader Udhayanidhi Stalin supported the resolution on behalf of the DMK and reiterated his party’s longstanding objection to carrying out delimitation using the 2011 Census. Stalin noted that the DMK had earlier convened an all‑party meeting and formed a joint action committee to defend the interests of Tamil Nadu and other southern states. Stalin also urged that delimitation should not be carried out for the next 25 years and welcomed the resolution as consistent with his party’s parliamentary stance when a related Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha.

Parliamentary context

The Assembly action comes against the backdrop of legislative proposals in Delhi. During a special three‑day session of Parliament in April, the Union government introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to amend provisions relating to the Women’s Reservation Act and to provide for fresh delimitation of constituencies. The bill required a two‑thirds majority in Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, the measure was earlier put to a vote and failed to secure the required majority, with 298 MPs voting in favour and 230 against. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale was reported to have said the delimitation bill would be brought up again, but the item has not been listed amid continuing parliamentary deadlock over unrelated issues, including protests and police action in Delhi. The Monsoon Session of Parliament is due to conclude later this week.

Support within the House

Ministers Vanniarasu (VCK), P. Viswanathan (Congress) and A. M. Shajahan backed the resolution on behalf of their respective parties. Viswanathan cautioned that the proposed delimitation could erase gains won by states that pursued population control and development measures.

Party	Position on Resolution
TVK (ruling)	Supported / Moved resolution
DMK (Opposition)	Supported
AIADMK	Opposed (several leaders absent)
PMK, BJP, DMDK	Opposed
VCK, Congress (allied ministers)	Supported

Implications and next steps

The Assembly resolution is a formal appeal to the Union government and does not itself bind Parliament. However, it reinforces a united stance by several Tamil Nadu parties against any delimitation exercise that they say would alter the State’s current share of parliamentary representation. The State’s demand that women’s reservation be implemented within the present 543 seats seeks to ensure that any increase or redistribution of seats at the national level does not dilute Tamil Nadu’s representation. How the Union government responds, and whether the matter will be relaunched in Parliament during or after the Monsoon Session, remains to be seen. (Reporting from Chennai; inputs from Assembly proceedings and parliamentary records.)