Tamil Nadu seeks permanent freeze on Lok Sabha seats as Opposition boycotts Vijay’s meeting

A Tamil Nadu parliamentary meeting convened by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has called for permanently freezing the Lok Sabha size at 543 and preserving each state's current share of parliamentary representation, despite most Tamil Nadu MPs refusing to attend over a delimitation dispute. Only 20 of the state's 57 MPs - 39 Lok Sabha members and 18 Rajya Sabha representatives - participated.

Thirty-seven MPs, including those from the DMK, AIADMK, PMK, DMDK and MNM, boycotted the session. The meeting concluded that the Tamil Nadu government should introduce a resolution in the Assembly asking the Union government to halt delimitation and maintain the existing Lok Sabha constituency freeze. The Chief Minister stressed that any reduction in Tamil Nadu's parliamentary representation would diminish the state's importance.

The participants dismissed the idea of expanding the Lok Sabha, arguing that it would be an "illusion" to alleviate the concerns of southern states. They firmly stated that the parliamentary strength should remain at 543 and that state representation should not change. The boycott highlighted the political rifts surrounding the issue, with DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi accusing Vijay of using the meeting to distract from regional disputes.