Postpone delimitation of constituencies for another 25 years

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed joy as the opposition successfully blocked the delimitation bill in Parliament. He credited the INDIA bloc MPs and women for this victory. Stalin highlighted the planned campaign and protests that built momentum. He stated this marks the beginning of opposition unity and a setback for the BJP government.

Chief Minister M K on Saturday said the 's "struggle against the "black law called delimitation" had succeeded in Parliament, after the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

He thanked the INDIA bloc and women for defeating it.

Stalin stated that the campaign against delimitation had been planned well in advance, and the state government and opposition leaders had anticipated the issue nearly a year ago and had begun coordinated efforts early.

He highlighted that a series of protests, including demonstrations where copies of the proposed law were burned, helped build momentum that led to strong resistance both on the ground and in Parliament.

In a video posted on X, Stalin said, "I stand before you with happiness and a new energy. Our struggle against the black law called delimitation has been successful. Anticipating this danger a year ago, we began all the necessary work to achieve this victory back then. Starting with the coordination meeting of Chief Ministers and opposition leaders, we raised the black flag and burned a copy of the black law the day before yesterday. I said "let the fire spread," and it has even caught fire in the Parliament."

Stalin also credited the people of Tamil Nadu for their support, especially women, who resisted the "deceptive attempt" to introduce the measure under the pretext of women's reservation.

"I told some half-baked people who were asking what it meant to see the "old DMK" of the 50s and 60s, that "this is DMK, look," and we showed it strongly yesterday. In the name of delimitation, a black law was brought entirely in favor of the BJP. As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, I express my gratitude, gratitude, and more gratitude to everyone who defeated it in the Parliament. Most importantly, I must first express my heartfelt thanks to the people of Tamil Nadu who stood by me in this. The tried to bring this law under the guise of women's reservation. But it was women who stood at the forefront and defeated this deceptive plan. My salute to them. This has been made possible because the MPs of all opposition parties, including the INDIA alliance parties, stood together," he added.

Calling it a "hammer blow" to attempts at dividing the country, Stalin added that the development demonstrated growing unity among opposition parties.

Describing the outcome as "just the beginning," Stalin claimed that, for the first time in 12 years, a constitutional amendment bill introduced by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had failed to pass in Parliament.

Stalin said, "A proper hammer blow has been given to those who thought they could create a rift among us as North and South and make us fight. For the first time in 12 years, a constitutional amendment bill brought by Prime Minister Modi's government has failed. This is just the beginning. This is the beginning of the failure that the BJP is going to face across the country. This is the beginning of the unity of opposition parties. I have been saying consistently that if we unite, victory is certain. This is the beginning that has proven it true."

He thanked Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for their support. He expressed gratitude to Mamata Banerjee of the , Akhilesh Yadav, Kejriwal, , Supriya Sule, Naveen Patnaik, Hemant Soren, Farooq Abdullah, Uddhav Thackeray, D. Raja, M. A. Baby, K. Chandrashekar Rao, and Sukhbir Singh Badal, among others.

"At this time, both in the Parliament and in the people's forum, the opposition leader of the Lok Sabha, dear brother Rahul Gandhi, who expressed clear sentiments that this bill has nothing to do with women's reservation, that it is an anti-national law and we will not allow it, and that we will all join together to defeat it; the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi; and the president of the Congress party, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge--I express my thanks to them. Not only Congress, but also Trinamool Congress party leader, dear sister Mamata Banerjee; the light of , brother Akhilesh; Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal; Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi; Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule; Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren; Jammu & Kashmir National Conference party leader Farooq Abdullah; Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray; General Secretary of the Communist Party of India, brother D. Raja; General Secretary of the Marxist Communist Party, M.A. Baby; BRS party leader K. Chandrashekar Rao; ShiromAkali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, and other national leaders--I express my thanks to all of them.," Stalin said.

He also highlighted support from southern leaders, including Pinarayi Vijayan, Revanth Reddy, Siddaramaiah, and D. K. Shivakumar, as well as allied parties within Tamil Nadu.

"Also, to our Dravidian brothers, Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan, Brother Revanth Reddy, the honorable Siddaramaiah, friend D.K. Shivakumar, who have strengthened my hands in this effort from the beginning; and to all the leaders of the secular progressive alliance parties in Tamil Nadu who are our ideological allies--I express my thanks," he said.

Describing it as only a "half-victory," Stalin urged the Union government to introduce a constitutional amendment to postpone constituency delimitation for another 25 years, until 2051.

"What we have achieved now is only a half-victory. Just as it was done in 2001, a constitutional amendment must be brought now to postpone the delimitation of constituencies for another 25 years, that is, until 2051. Not only that, the law we supported and passed in 2023 for women's reservation should be implemented immediately by the BJP government without any conditions, based on the current number of members. Only that will be a full victory. Let us fight for that," Stalin stated.

Stalin alleged that the event forced clarity on "who stands with Tamil Nadu's interests," and criticised the opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami and his party, accusing them of acting in line with directions from Delhi. He claimed the AIADMK had already faced a setback in public perception ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Highlighting the ideological history of the Dravidian movement, Stalin said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had historically played a key role in shaping constitutional amendments related to social justice and reservation, and had consistently resisted attempts at Hindi imposition.

Stalin said, "In this happy moment, this delimitation law has not only identified who our friends are. It has made the traitors of Tamil Nadu speak for themselves. Palaniswami's slave gang, who committed such treachery, has faced a crushing defeat even before the elections. It has been proven once again that Palaniswami is an agent of Delhi. What is our Dravidian movement's history? It was DMK that fought for the first constitutional amendment of the Indian Constitution and brought reservation. Whenever Hindi imposition comes, it is DMK that fought firmly and won. In the same way, DMK has fought and won yesterday against the attempt to block Tamil Nadu's rights and representation. Today, India is talking highly of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Let our victories continue. They will continue."

Stalin expressed confidence of electoral success for his party and its allies, stating that the BJP and its regional partners in Tamil Nadu would face a strong defeat in the upcoming state elections.

"We will give a massive, unforgettable defeat to the BJP, which tried to make the people of Tamil Nadu refugees in their own country, and to their subservient slaves, the AIADMK, in the 2026 assembly elections. We will win together," he said.

The remarks come a day after the BJP-led government failed to secure the required two-thirds majority to pass the amendment bill. In the Lok Sabha voting, 298 members supported the bill while 230 opposed it.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed that the bill did not pass. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre would not proceed with the remaining interlinked legislations.

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the opposition of blocking women's reservation, opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, maintained that they support the quota but oppose its linkage with delimitation.

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Source: EconomicTimes
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