Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Ahead of the first joint action meeting on delimitation on Saturday (March 22, 2025), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said if Tamil Nadu and other States lose representation due to the upcoming delimitation process, it will strike at the very foundation of federalism in India.

“It will erode the essence of democracy itself,” Mr. Stalin said on Friday, sharing a video message on X explaining the reason the DMK government is organising the meeting and first round of discussions in Chennai on March 22.

“Fair Delimitation. This is the talk of the town right now. Why has the DMK brought this into focus? Because by 2026, delimitation will happen. And if the delimitation exercise is carried out based on population size, our representation in Parliament will be severely affected,” Mr. Stalin said.

“That is exactly why we raised our voice first,” he added.

“This is not just about the number of MPs. This is about our States rights. That is why we convened a meeting with all parties in Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Stalin said.

“Our voices in parliament will be silenced. Our rights will be compromised. This is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to undermine certain states”, he added.

“States that have controlled their population growth, governed efficiently and contributed significantly to national progress must not be punished by the union government,” Mr. Stalin noted.

“That is why, with consensus from most parties in Tamil Nadu, we have convened this meeting to unite all the affected states,” he said. Except the BJP, every other party stood together as one. We passed a resolution demanding a fair delimitation process, he added.

“More importantly we decided to unite the other affected states and fight together. To take this forward, I wrote letters to the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal and Punjab,” Mr. Stalin pointed out.

“I also sent letters to the leadership of all major parties representing these States in Parliament, “ he said.

A delegation of one Minister and one MP personally met these leaders and explained the stand, Mr. Stalin said.

“I personally spoke to all the Chief Ministers over the phone. In response to the invite, some have confirmed their participation, while others, due to prior commitments, will be sending their representatives,” he noted.

This meeting will chart the course forward. Based on the meeting’s outcome, the next steps will be planned, Mr. Stalin said.

“Our rightful demand will prevail. Our initiative will protect India.”

In a post on X, Mr. Stalin termed the meeting as a historic day for Indian federalism!.

‘I extend my warmest welcome to the leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal & Punjab who are joining us for the Joint Action Committee meeting on #FairDelimitation,” he said.

What started as Tamil Nadu’s initiative has now grown into a national movement, with states across India joining hands to demand fair representation, Mr. Stalin said.

“This is a defining moment in our collective journey. This is more than a meeting—it is the beginning of a movement that will shape the future of our country. Together, we will achieve #FairDelimitation!” he noted.