What Is Delimitation And Why Is Tamil Nadu Wary Of It? Explained  

Delimitation - the redrawing of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituency boundaries based on population shifts - is now at the centre of a major political controversy in Tamil Nadu and across South India.

MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has called for an all-party meeting on March 5, stating that the exercise - scheduled in 2026 - hangs over the southern states like a looming threat.

As the discussion intensifies, the main question is why are southern states so apprehensive about delimitation.

What is delimitation?

Delimitation is the process of redrawing parliamentary and assembly constituencies to reflect population changes. The idea is to ensure that each constituency has roughly the same number of people living in it.

In other words, delimitation is directly linked to size. States with larger populations get more representatives in parliament than States with smaller populations.

What does the Indian Constitution say about delimitation?

The Indian Constitution lays clear guidelines for the delimitation process through Articles 82 and 170.

Article 82: After each national census, Parliament must pass a Delimitation Act to redefine the boundaries and number of Lok Sabha constituencies.

Article 170: This governs the delimitation of State Legislative Assemblies, determining the number of seats in each state based on population data.

How many times has delimitation been executed in India?

Delimitation has taken place in India four times - 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002.

Until 1976, after every Census, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and State Assembly seats were redistributed across the country. However, during the 1976 emergency, Indira Gandhi's government froze seat allocation to ensure that states with successful family planning policies did not lose representation. This decision was formalised through the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, which halted any change in the number of Parliamentary and Assembly seats until after the 2001 Census.

In 2001, while constituency boundaries were redrawn, the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies remained unchanged, primarily due to opposition from southern states.

After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Centre would undertake two major tasks - the national census and the delimitation exercise.

How does delimitation impact representation?

Delimitation is set to reshape parliamentary seats based on population. While north Indian states will gain more seats, southern states may see minimal changes, with Tamil Nadu expected to be among the most affected.

By 2026, India's population is expected to reach 1.42 billion. In the south, Karnataka may see an increase from 28 to 36 seats, Telangana from 17 to 20, Andhra Pradesh from 25 to 28 and Tamil Nadu from 39 to 41. Kerala, with the slowest population growth, may lose a seat, dropping from 20 to 19.

Meanwhile, in the north, Uttar Pradesh could see its seats rise from 80 to 128, and Bihar from 40 to 70.

Will delimitation impact the number of seats in southern states?

Union Minister Amit Shah addressed concerns over delimitation in southern states, assuring that it would not lead to a reduction in their parliamentary seats. He said on February 26, "I want to reassure the people of South India that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept your interest in mind and will make sure that not even one seat is reduced. And whatever increase is there, southern states will get a fair share, there is no reason to doubt this."