Joint Action Committee demands freeze on delimitation for another 25 years

Leaders at the first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation, in Chennai on Saturday
| Photo Credit: Special Arranegement

The Joint Action Committee on Fair Delimitation demanded on Saturday (March 22, 2025) that the freeze on the number of Parliamentary constituencies, based on the 1971 Census, be extended for another 25 years.

DMK’s Parliamentary Party leader Kanimozhi, who briefed the media about a resolution passed by the JAC to this effect, said any delimitation exercise carried out by the Union government to improve the content and character of our democracy should be done transparently, enabling political parties of all the States, State governments, and other stakeholders to deliberate, discuss, and contribute to it.

“Given the fact that the legislative intent behind the 42nd, 84th, and 87th Constitutional amendments was to protect/incentivise States which have implemented population control measures effectively and the goal of national population stabilisation has not yet been achieved, the freeze on Parliamentary constituencies based on 1971 Census should be extended by another 25 years,” the resolution said.

Ms. Kanimozhi said the States, which had effectively implemented the population control programme and whose population share had come down consequently, should not be penalised.

“The Union government must enact necessary Constitutional amendments for this purpose. The Core Committee consisting of Members of Parliament from the represented States will coordinate the parliamentary strategies to counter any attempts by the Union government to undertake any delimitation exercise contrary to the principles mentioned above,” she said, quoting the resolution.

She said the Core Committee of MPs shall submit a joint representation along these lines to the Prime Minister of India during the ongoing Parliamentary session. “The political parties from different States represented in the meeting will initiate efforts to bring about appropriate Legislative Assembly resolutions in their respective States on the issue and communicate the same to the Union government,” the resolution said.

It further said the JAC would also undertake necessary efforts to disseminate information on the history and context of past delimitation exercises and the consequences of the proposed delimitation among the citizens of their respective States, through a coordinated public opinion mobilisation strategy.