Now Reading: Tamil Nadu Assembly seeks 543-seat Lok Sabha freeze, women quota by 2029
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Tamil Nadu Assembly seeks 543-seat Lok Sabha freeze, women quota by 2029
Tamil Nadu Assembly seeks 543-seat Lok Sabha freeze, women quota by 2029
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Centre to keep the Lok Sabha’s strength at 543 and retain the current distribution of seats among states. It also seeks 33%…
The Story in Brief
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Centre to keep the Lok Sabha’s strength at 543 and retain the current distribution of seats among states. It also seeks 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies from the 2029 elections, without waiting for delimitation or a new census. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said states that controlled population growth should not lose representation. The resolution opposes delimitation based on post-1971 population figures and seeks to retain Tamil Nadu’s current 7.18% share and the 2.2:1 Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha ratio.
The DMK supported the resolution. Deccan Herald reports that AIADMK, BJP, PMK and DMDK opposed it, while Rediff reports AIADMK backed the women’s quota but not the wider proposal. DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin sought another 25-year freeze and said the party’s final position on any Centre-backed Bill would depend on its draft. The Assembly passed the resolution after a debate lasting about two hours.
The Indian Opinion
The easy claim that this is simply a southern versus northern fight misses the real trade-off. Population-based delimitation can reward demographic growth, while a permanent freeze can weaken equal representation. Tamil Nadu’s demand for women’s quota without delay is a separate issue and should not be held hostage to seat arithmetic. The test is the Centre’s draft: will it protect the state’s 7.18% share while adding credible representation for women in 2029?
Sources (3): rediff.com, news.abplive.com, deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
