The Tamil Nadu government wanted the existing freeze capping Lok Sabha seats at 543 nationally and 39 in the state, and not fair delimitation, Minister Aadhav Arjuna said on Friday.
Responding to the concerns raised by the opposition party members on the parliamentary constituency delimitation, Arjuna told the Assembly that Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had on Thursday conveyed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the existing freeze capping Lok Sabha seats at 543 nationally and 39 in the state should continue. The Public Works Minister asserted that the state government remained firm on its (Assembly) resolution to freeze the number of parliamentary seats at 543. Endorsing him, Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said he had clarified the government’s stance immediately after contradictory views were highlighted in the media on August 20 in the midst of the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting at Kovalam near here.
PMK MLA A Ganeshkumar asserted his party’s commitment to protecting the state’s rights and emphasised that the PMK opposed delimitation based on population, arguing it would unfairly reduce Tamil Nadu’s representation in the Lok Sabha. Minister Vanni Arasu claimed that while Amit Shah argued the share of seats for southern states would increase, the actual bill contained different provisions.
Leader of the Opposition DMK Udhayanidhi Stalin recalling the Assembly resolution on delimitation on August 12, urged the Union government to permanently fix the strength of Lok Sabha seats at 543, but Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had not used the word “freeze” while speaking on the issue at the council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
