No change in Tamil Nadu's stand on demand to freeze LS seats at 543: Minister

CHENNAI: Minister Aadhav Arjuna on Friday asserted in the Assembly that the state administration and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay remain firmly committed to its stance on freezing Lok Sabha seats at 543 for the next 25 years, backed by legislation.

Key points

• If the number of Lok Sabha seats rose by 50%, the state's representation could rise from the present 39 to 59, he stated.
• AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami remarked his party's position was that Tamil Nadu's existing 7.18% share of Lok Sabha representation should not be reduced in any delimitation exercise.
• Responding to it, Aadhav alleged that the DMK had resisted a 50% rise in LS seats before the Assembly elections but appeared to be changing its position now.
• Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar remarked he had clarified the government's stance immediately after the gathering.

According to The minister, he was clarifying the government's stance against the backdrop of a "misinformation campaign" that it has softened its position on delimitation after Vijay's speech at the Southern Zonal Council session, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Mahabalipuram on Thursday.

Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin remarked while the Assembly resolution called on retaining the cap on Lok Sabha seats, the chief minister's speech at the Southern Zonal Council session did not convey this position.

Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar remarked he had clarified the government's stance immediately after the gathering. Reiterating the DMK's stand, Udhayanidhi remarked the Lok Sabha should continue to have 543 seats. If the number of seats is to be rose, Tamil Nadu's existing 7.18% share of representation should not be reduced and instead should be climbed, he noted.

Responding to it, Aadhav alleged that the DMK had resisted a 50% rise in LS seats before the Assembly elections but appeared to be changing its position now. If the BJP-led union administration introduced a legislation to rise the number of Lok Sabha seats by 50%, all 39 MPs from Tamil Nadu should oppose it unitedly without staging a walkout, Arjuna noted. Such an growth would amount to a "betrayal of Tamil Nadu" and "mortgaging Tamil Nadu", he went on.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami remarked his party's position was that Tamil Nadu's existing 7.18% share of Lok Sabha representation should not be reduced in any delimitation exercise. BJP MLA Bojarajan, nevertheless, stated delimitation could benefit Tamil Nadu.

If the number of Lok Sabha seats rose by 50%, the state's representation could rise from the present 39 to 59, he stated. PMK MLA Ganeshkumar remarked delimitation could provide TN with further seats if its existing proportional share was protected. He questioned why the Congress has gone from demanding "fair delimitation" to opposing delimitation altogether.

In short, no change in Tamil Nadu' s stand on demand to freeze LS seats is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.