By: Express Web Desk New Delhi | February 25, 2025 13:22 IST 2 min readTamil Nadu CM MK Stalin on Lok Sabha delimitation.(File photo)Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin Tuesday announced convening of an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the issue of Lok Sabha delimitation that is “hanging over souther states like a sword”.The delimitation, for redrafting of constituencies, is expected to be held soon after the BJP-led Union government completes the much-delayed Census exercise by 2026. Tamil Nadu’s Assembly elections are also scheduled that year.Stalin’s announcement in Chennai comes two days after he said Tamil Nadu is facing the situation of possible decrease in Parliamentary seats because it implemented the family planning programme. He highlighted the concern that the state will lose its seats in the Lok Sabha.The delimitation exercise is pegged as a common political plank for the southern states, four of which are ruled by non-BJP parties. It is based solely on population figures that could bring down the number of Parliament seats in all the southern states.The South is said to be worried about the impact on its political share in the Parliament where a disproportionate number of seats will be from the North due to its heavily populated states.Various state governments in the South have raised this concern publicly, with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and leader of the TDP, a key ally of the BJP, encouraging people in the state to have more children to offset effects of an ageing population.The amendments required for a delimitation process include changes to Article 81 (which defines the composition of the Lok Sabha), Article 170 (composition of Legislative Assemblies), Article 82, Article 55 (deals with the presidential election process for which value of each vote in the electoral college is decided on the population basis), Articles 330 and 332 (covering reservation of seats for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies, respectively).© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd