CHENNAI — Tamil Nadu's legislative assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution urging India's central government to permanently freeze the number of Lok Sabha seats at 543, opposing a proposed delimitation exercise that could alter the distribution of parliamentary representation among states.
The resolution, moved by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, also called for 33% reservation for women to be implemented within the existing strength of the lower house from the next general election, according to reports on the assembly proceedings.
The measure was backed by the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, while the Bharatiya Janata Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Pattali Makkal Katchi opposed it during a voice vote, according to reports.
Tamil Nadu currently has 39 of the Lok Sabha's 543 seats, or about 7.18% of the house. Supporters of the resolution argue that changing seat allocations on the basis of population could reduce the state's relative parliamentary representation after decades in which it and other southern states pursued policies aimed at slowing population growth.
The dispute comes as India approaches a constitutional deadline for reconsidering the allocation of parliamentary seats. A constitutional freeze has kept inter-state allocation based on the 1971 Census, while delimitation of constituency boundaries has subsequently been carried out without changing states' overall seat allocations. The freeze was extended to the first census conducted after 2026.
The central government's position has been that southern states will not necessarily lose political representation under its proposed changes. During earlier parliamentary discussions, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the five southern states would increase their combined number of Lok Sabha seats under a proposed expansion of the house, while their overall share would remain broadly stable.
Tamil Nadu's resolution instead seeks to retain the existing 543-seat framework and protect the state's current share. The issue has become a major federal and political dispute between southern states and the central government over how population should influence representation.
The resolution does not itself change India's constitutional framework or determine the outcome of any future delimitation exercise. It formally records the Tamil Nadu assembly's position and calls on the Union government to act on its demands.
