Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking the Centre to bring Constitutional amendments to permanently fix the total number of Lok Sabha seats at 543.
In his letter on Thursday, Vijay referred to a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly a day earlier. The resolution raised concerns over the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
Vijay wants current seat distribution to continue
The Chief Minister said the existing distribution of Lok Sabha seats among states should not be changed.
Quoting the Assembly resolution, Vijay said the total strength of the Lok Sabha should be permanently fixed at 543. He also said the number of seats currently allotted to each state should remain unchanged.
Vijay sent a copy of the Assembly resolution to PM Modi and requested him to consider its demands and bring the necessary Constitutional amendments.
Tamil Nadu raises concern over delimitation
The Tamil Nadu Assembly discussed concerns that southern states could lose representation in the Lok Sabha after the Census if seats are redistributed on the basis of population.
The resolution noted that Tamil Nadu’s Lok Sabha representation had earlier fallen from 41 seats to 39 in 1967.
According to the resolution, changing the existing allocation of seats on the basis of post-1971 population figures could cause long-term injustice to southern states. It argued that these states had successfully implemented population-control programmes while also making progress in areas such as economic development, healthcare and public welfare.
33% reservation for women also demanded
Vijay also highlighted the Assembly’s demand to implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections that follow.
The letter therefore focuses on three main demands: permanently keeping the Lok Sabha strength at 543, maintaining the current state-wise distribution of seats, and implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming Lok Sabha and subsequent Assembly elections.
