As Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his inability owing to his prior commitments, Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar is likely to attend the meeting called by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 22 in Chennai to oppose the proposed delimitation exercise.
Following personal invitation from Stalin through his cabinet colleagues, Siddaramaiah expressed his willingness to attend the meeting. However today he said since it may not be possible for him to attend, considering its importance, he has requested Deputy Chief Minister to participate in the deliberations.
The letter by CM Siddaramaiah addressing his Tamil Nadu counterpart read, “I have received the letter which raises very important issues of autonomy of states which have serious implications on the principles governing our polity. Particularly the issues of delimitation of the Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies.
“Although I would like to take part in the meeting, due to my prior commitments, I am unable to do so,” he has expressed.
In his letter, CM Stalin had said that he was reaching out to CM Siddaramaiah with two specific requests. "Your formal consent to join a Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in the South to West Bengal and Odisha to Punjab in the North," and he also sought nomination of one senior representative from the Congress party who can serve on the JAC and help coordinate a unified strategy.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor too on Monday raised concerns over the delimitation process, warning that it could have significant consequences for democracy, national unity, and federalism. "When there is a census in 2026 or after, the new delimitation that will follow may end the arrangement under which for 50 years we have had the freezing of parliamentary constituencies,” he said, stressing that the issue raises “some very serious questions.”
He asked, “What happens if the north Indian Hindi-speaking states suddenly have a 2/3rd majority and can pass amendments? Will the South feel disenfranchised?” If you now take picture of the kind of population we now have in the country and allocate parliamentary seats, what could be the long-term consequences for our democracy, national unity, and federalism? Some concerns and solutions need to be discussed,” he said.
The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, which has consistently opposed delimitation, argues that the process could reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation in Parliament. Stalin questioned whether Tamil Nadu was being punished for its success in population control.
The AIADMK, Congress, Left parties, and actor-politician Vijay’s TVK participated in the meeting, while the BJP, Tamil nationalist NTK, and Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) boycotted it.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, rejected these concerns, saying, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear in the Lok Sabha that even after delimitation, the seats of none of the states of the South will be decreased.”