- Sunday, March 23, 2025
The committee said that states that have controlled their population growth should not be penalised during the delimitation exercise
By: India Weekly
THE DMK-LED Joint Action Committee meeting in Chennai to ensure “fair delimitation” on Saturday (22) urged the Centre to extend the freeze on Parliamentary constituencies, based on the 1971 Census population, by another 25 years.
Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of constituencies to reflect the latest population numbers.
The states that have succeeded in controlling their population now fear that they will be at a disadvantage, as their seat numbers may remain stagnant, while the more populous states will garner more seats.
The committee decided that MPs would submit a joint representation to press for demands to prime minister Narendra Modi during the ongoing Parliamentary session.
A resolution adopted in the JAC meeting said that any delimitation exercise carried out by the union government to improve the “content and character” of democracy should be carried out transparently, enabling political parties of all the states, state governments and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss and contribute.
“Given the fact that the legislative intent behind the 42nd, 84th and 87th Constitutional amendments was to protect/incentivise states which have implemented population control measures effectively and the goal of national population stabilisation has not yet been achieved, the freeze on Parliamentary constituencies based on 1971 Census Population, should be extended by another 25 years,” it said.
The states which have effectively implemented the population control programme and consequently whose population share has come down, should not be penalised and the Centre must enact necessary constitutional amendments for this purpose.
“The core committee consisting of Members of Parliament from the represented states will coordinate the parliamentary strategies to counter any attempts by the union government to undertake any delimitation exercise contrary to the principles mentioned above. The core committee of MPs shall submit a joint representation on the above lines to the Prime Minister of India during the ongoing Parliamentary session,” the resolution said.
The political parties from different states represented in the meeting will initiate efforts to bring appropriate legislative assembly resolutions in their respective states on the issue and communicate the same to the union government.
“The JAC will also undertake necessary efforts to disseminate information on the history and context of past delimitation exercises and the consequences of the proposed delimitation among the citizens of their respective States, through a coordinated public opinion mobilization strategy.”
The DMK has commenced its reach-out exercise on delimitation through advertisements on social media.
Chief ministers of Kerala, Telangana, and Punjab: Pinarayi Vijayan, Revanth Reddy and Bhagwant Singh Mann were among the leaders attending the meeting.
The DMK has reached out to Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab for the meeting.
Sule calls for fair delimitation
NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said in Mumbai on Saturday (22) that delimitation of parliamentary constituencies should be done, but in a fair manner.
The NCP (SP) is an ally of the DMK and part of the opposition INDIA bloc.
The state’s Chief Minister M K Stalin said it was more than a meeting, which marked the beginning of a movement that will shape the country’s future to achieve fair delimitation.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Sule said the southern states have done extraordinarily well in population management and the social sector.
“There is no clarity on delimitation, and we are concerned. Delimitation should be done, but in a fair manner,” she said.
“We are in touch with the DMK. They are having a meeting of only southern states today,” the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati said when asked about her party’s stand on the joint action committee hosted by the DMK.
A diversionary tactic: BJP leader
The meeting on the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies held in Chennai was an attempt by the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu to divert people’s attention from the allegations of a “liquor scam” it is facing, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said on Saturday (22).
Kumar, who spoke to reporters in Karimnagar district, said home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh have already stated that the modalities of delimitation have not yet been finalised and that there won’t be any decline in the number of seats in the south.
The DMK in Tamil Nadu is facing allegations of a liquor scam people are ready to give their verdict against the party, he said.
