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In a significant political development, political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the DMK and AIADMK, have decided to stay away from the all-party MPs' meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Saturday to discuss the issue of delimitation.
Out of the state's 57 MPs, only 20 are expected to attend the session, while 37 have opted to stay away, signalling a lack of consensus on the Chief Minister's initiative. The meeting was called by CM Vijay to formulate a unified state response to the proposed delimitation exercise, which has raised concerns over the potential reduction of parliamentary seats for southern states. According to the attendance details, the 20 MPs participating in the meeting primarily represent the Congress and its smaller allies. The expected attendees include 12 from the Congress, two each from the VCK, CPI, and CPI(M), and one each from the MDMK and IUML. On the other hand, the boycott is led by the ruling DMK, with all its 30 MPs absent from the meeting. The main opposition, AIADMK, has also skipped the event with its four MPs. Other parties joining the boycott include the PMK, MNM, and DMDK, with one MP each. Boycotting the meeting, DMK MP Kanimozhi said that the all-party MPs meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on delimitation is unnecessary and alleged that it was aimed at diverting attention from the Cauvery issue. Kanimozhi said there has been no official announcement from the Union government about tabling a delimitation bill in the current Parliament session, and since the amended draft bill is not even available, there is nothing new to discuss. The move comes after CM Vijay convened a consultative meeting of all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state to deliberate on the proposed Delimitation Bill 2026 and its potential impact on Tamil Nadu. According to an official statement, the meeting is scheduled to be held at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai at 3 pm today. The Delimitation Bill 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on April 16, 2026, to redraw parliamentary and assembly constituencies, expand the Lok Sabha strength to 850 seats, and implement women's reservation. However, the bill was not passed as it failed to secure the constitutionally required special two-thirds majority of members present and voting in Parliament. (ANI)
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