Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday urged the Centre to allay fears of southern States over likely reduction in the number of Lok Sabha seats owing to proposed delimitation exercise. He also said the recent statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on delimitation exercise is “not acceptable and lacks clarity.”There was a fear among southern States that their representation in Lok Sabha would be reduced post delimitation, slated to be carried out in 2026. Fifty years ago, when India had faced several challenges owing to population explosion, the Union government urged States to implement population control measures. The southern States played a significant role in controlling the population growth that eventually contributed to the development of India. In such a scenario, the southern States should be rewarded with additional representation in Lok Sabha. Instead, it is unacceptable to decide the number of Lok Sabha seats on the basis of population, Dr. Ramadoss said in a statement.He also said Mr. Shah had only promised that the number of existing Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu won’t be reduced. However, he had not clarified on whether the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu would be increased in proportion to the increase in total number of Lok Sabha seats. The Union government should ensure that the proposed delimitation exercise won’t reduce the existing 7.2% of total number of seats in Lok Sabha to Tamil Nadu.The PMK would extend support to all initiatives taken in Tamil Nadu to ensure the State’s representation in Lok Sabha was not reduced, said Dr. Ramadoss who also added that his party would participate in the all-party meeting called by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 5.Published - February 27, 2025 05:59 pm IST