T.N. CM Stalin calls for constitutional safeguards to retain current share of States’ representation in delimitation

DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) called for the convening of a special session of Parliament in early June to enact amendments to the Constitution of India with respect to delimitation, such as an increase in seats, continuation of the current share of representation of States, and a guarantee that such representation will continue for the next 30 years.

In a post on X, Mr. Stalin said recent newspaper reports indicated that women’s representation in Parliament and Legislative Assemblies was being considered based on the 2011 Census. The step is not in line with The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2023, passed by the BJP government at the Centre, and its earlier position to take up the initiative only after delimitation is carried out based on the Census conducted after 2026, the Chief Minister said.

“This is most probably aimed at securing electoral gains in the forthcoming Assembly elections in four major States. Pushing such an important step when the Model Code of Conduct is already in force is unprecedented,” Mr. Stalin pointed out.

“As the president of the DMK and the proud inheritor of the Dravidian legacy that has spearheaded women’s empowerment for more than a century, I fully support this initiative of women’s reservation without any preconditions, while at the same time stressing our right to fair delimitation,” he said.

“It is our consistent stand that the current proportional representation of States should not be disturbed under any circumstances. To achieve this, the delimitation and distribution of constituencies among States must include a constitutional provision ensuring the same for the next 30 years,” Mr. Stalin said.

Considering the current Model Code of Conduct and the preoccupation of political parties, he demanded that a special session of Parliament be convened in early June to enact these constitutional amendments for delimitation.