INDIA Bloc Demands For A Fair Delimitation As Special Parliament Is Convened Tommorow.

New Delhi; April 2026: As the Parliament is scheduled for a special seating for 03 days (16th-17th-18th April 2026), the opposition members are delving into the details of the “Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023”, alongside the proposed “Delimitation Process”.

Former Union Minister, and present Rajya Sabha member P. Chidambaram today (15th April 2026) has demanded a fair delimitation process, calling the proposal to increase 50% Lok Sabha seats an “illusion”. Addressing a press conference in Coimbatore, P. Chidambaram opposed the timing of the three-day Parliament sitting to pass the amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and constitution amendment to increase the Lok Sabha seats to 850. He said that several Opposition MPs might not be able to attend Parliament amid elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

He said, “The BJP government has said that it will convene the House to pass the Delimitation Bill without opposition. If Parliament is convened tomorrow, we will not be able to look at the sections in it. We are not saying no to delimitation. We are saying that we want fair delimitation. But now, suddenly, they are saying that the MP seats will be increased by 50%. Delimitation is an illusion and a deception. By convening the Lok Sabha on April 16 and passing this bill, the central government is trying to create a situation where the opposition MPs in the states where elections are held are unable to participate in it”.

He clarified that the Congress and the INDIA bloc do not oppose the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023; however, he questioned the hurry to implement it. “We support reservations for women. It is the Congress party that brought this. The INDIA alliance supported the reservation bill in 2023. The Congress said that one-third of the 543 seats should be reserved for women in the 2024 parliamentary elections. But after sleeping for 30 months, they are suddenly waking up from their slumber and bringing it up in a hurry”, the senior Congress leader stated.

MDMK leader Durai Vaiko also questioned the timing of delimitation, flagging that it coincides with Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. “We welcome the 33% reservation for women in the state assembly and in Parliament. In fact, we requested the government to have this 33% reservation in the 2024 parliamentary elections. Now, suddenly, when we have elections in five states, including Tamil Nadu, the government suddenly announces that it is proposing to bring in delimitation and the women’s reservation. It’s very unfortunate. I don’t know the reason behind this urgency, but the delimitation bill has, in fact, raised serious concerns among the opposition parties. Our CM MK Stalin, Telangana CM, Karnataka CM, and other opposition CM’s including Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee has put a request to the Prime Minister and to the BJP government, asking for a discussion on this Delimitation Bill to probably make sure that it does not affect the states” Durai Vaiko told the press reporters.

The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which provides for 33% reservation for women legislators, is linked to the delimitation process in the Lok Sabha. The government is planning to implement the women’s reservation ahead of the 2029 General Elections by bringing in an amendment to the 2023 Act and a constitutional amendment to delink the delimitation process from the 2027 census.

According to government sources, the government has proposed to increase the number of seats in the House to 850, with 815 seats proposed for the States and the remaining 35 for the Union Territories. The Lok Sabha has 543 seats at present. While the seats in the Lok Sabha will witness a 50% increase, the opposition parties have expressed concern as this increase will not be on a pro-rata basis for each state. The INDIA bloc parties claimed that the proposed delimitation shrinks the representation of southern states in the Lok Sabha. The delimitation exercise, under Article 82 of the Constitution, is linked to the population of a constituency.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin today has chaired an emergency meeting of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MPs to discuss the repercussions that Tamil Nadu is likely to face regarding constituency delimitation. In an X post he noted that the issue of Delimitation has become a grave concern and threatens the rights of people. He appealed to the MPs of all political parties to form a coordinated strategy to protect democratic principles.

“Delimitation: The sword that hung over our heads has now descended upon us. In consultation with our DMK MPs, we are reaching out to Members of Parliament across states and devising a coordinated strategy to counter this grave danger. This is not about parties or individuals. It is about protecting the rights of our people. I appeal to all parties and MPs across India to unite to safeguard our democracy”, he wrote. Earlier Stalin called for black flag protests across the state in response to the centre’s move.

In a post on X, Stalin questioned whether Tamil Nadu and southern states were being “punished” for contributing to India’s growth and warned that the move had triggered widespread anger across the region. “Is punishment being meted out to Tamil Nadu and the southern states for the crime of striving for India’s growth? The delimitation amendment bill that the Union BJP government plans to introduce in Parliament tomorrow is a massive historic injustice inflicted upon Tamil Nadu and the southern states”, he said.

He further alleged that people across South India were angered over the proposed move and cautioned the BJP against proceeding with it. “Every South Indian south of the Vindhyas is boiling with rage. The BJP is playing with fire”, Stalin said. Calling for protests, the DMK president urged people to hoist black flags at homes and public places across Tamil Nadu “Tomorrow, across Tamil Nadu, black flags will be hoisted on homes and public spaces in protest against delimitation”, he added.

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran also flagged that the representation of the southern states, including Tamil Nadu, will reduce in comparison to the northern states, Maran said that the rights of each state should be respected and the delimitation should be done on a proportionate basis. Maran accused the Centre of “bulldozing” the Constitution amendment Bill, without discussion with each state.

The DMK MP has briefed media reporters, “Our leader MK Stalin held a meeting with all the DMK MPs. They are disguising the bill as a bill for a women’s quota, but it’s not a bill for a women’s quota. It is for delimitation. The real dragon is delimitation. They want delimitation based on the 2011 census, which all the opposition parties have been opposing. That’s not a fair way to do it. They are increasing the seats for Uttar Pradesh from 80 to 240. Do not do it based on the population. Let’s do it on a proportionate basis. What is the hurry to introduce this bill when the other states are going for elections? You never discussed with all the states. You want to bulldoze this”.

Maran further asserted, “CM MK Stalin is saying this is not good for the country, this is not the right way. In a democratic country, the rights of every citizen should be respected. Every DMK MP will be present and vote against the Bill. Tamil Nadu CM has asked people to show a black flag in every household as mark that we don’t agree with PM Modi. We all will be wearing black outfits to show that we are against the Bill. BJP is nonexistent; people will never vote for a party which is against the interests of Tamil-speaking people”, he added.

Team Maverick.