Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to introduce Constitutional amendments to permanently fix the strength of the Lok Sabha at 543 members.
In his letter on Thursday, Vijay referred to a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Wednesday on the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
He also drew the Prime Minister’s attention to the Assembly’s demand for 33 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Assembly polls.
Vijay said the resolution called for the current distribution of Lok Sabha seats among the states to remain unchanged.
Quoting the resolution, the Chief Minister said the “total number of members of the House of the People (Lok Sabha) should be made permanent at 543."
He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to each state should also remain fixed at the current level.
“I enclose a copy of the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. I kindly request you to consider the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and bring in the necessary Constitutional amendments in this regard.”
On Wednesday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had deliberated that the southern states could lose Lok Sabha seats after the Census if Article 81(2)(a), which deals with the allocation of seats, were applied.
It noted that a similar reduction had taken place in 1967, when Tamil Nadu’s Lok Sabha representation fell from 41 to 39 seats.
The resolution said any delimitation based on post-1971 population figures that alters the existing seat allocation would cause lasting injustice to the southern states, which, it said, had effectively implemented population-control programmes while achieving progress in economic development, healthcare and public welfare.
It also urged the Centre to ensure one-third reservation for women in the next Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections that follow.
In his letter, Vijay has therefore sought three key measures: a Constitutional amendment to fix the Lok Sabha’s strength at 543, retaining the existing state-wise allocation of seats, and implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in the upcoming Lok Sabha and subsequent Assembly elections.
