Amit Shah's big assurance to southern states on delimitation: 'Not one seat will be lost'

Union minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that no southern state, including Tamil Nadu, will see a reduction in Parliamentary representation due to the delimitation exercise. The delimitation exercise – originally scheduled for 2026 – redefines the number of representatives a state sends to the Lok Sabha based on population.

Shah's assurance at a rally in Coimbatore comes a day after Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin called an all-party meeting in Chennai on March 5 to discuss the delimitation exercise, which he referred to “as a sword hanging over southern states”. “I want to reassure the public of South India that Modi ji has kept your interest in mind to make sure that not even one seat is reduced pro rata,” Amit Shah said. “Whatever increase is there, Southern states will get a fair share, there is no reason to doubt this."

In Wednesday's speech, Amit Shah also denied CM MK Stalin's charge that the Narendra Modi-led government has been denying central funds to Tamil Nadu