Did CM Vijay soften delimitation stance after late-night Amit Shah meet?

In an apparent recalibration that has set tongues wagging, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay appears to have softened his hardline position on delimitation, days after the Assembly passed a resolution against the proposed exercise.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay and Home Minister Amit ShahTamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay appears to have softened his hardline stand on the contentious delimitation issue within a week. And the opposition is in no mood to let him off the hook after the Tamil Nadu assembly passed a much-hyped resolution against the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies on August 12. At the heart of the row is Vijay's decision not to mention the key demand of southern states - a permanent freeze of the Lok Sabha's strength at 543 seats - during the zonal council meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.The opposition has alleged that the shift in Vijay's position on delimitation came after his late-night meeting with Amit Shah on Wednesday. It was Vijay's first meeting with the Home Minister after becoming the chief minister. The TVK chief was seen giving a warm welcome to Shah, with experts seeing it as a glimpse into his style of statecraft - a non-confrontational relationship with the Centre.DID VIJAY SOFTEN DELIMITATION STAND?In a calibrated remark at the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting, Vijay said each state's current share of parliamentary representation should be protected. The Tamil Nadu CM urged the Centre to provide a clear legislative assurance on the same."I urge the Centre to provide a clear legislative assurance that no state will suffer a reduction in its percentage of representation in Parliament on account of its success in population stabilisation," Vijay said. Interestingly, the resolution against delimitation sought a permanent freeze on the Lok Sabha's total strength at 543 and retaining the existing state-wise allocation of seats. It argued that southern states should not be penalised for succeeding in population control.However, sitting beside Amit Shah at the zonal council meeting, Vijay did not repeat his earlier demand for a 543-seat ceiling. Instead, he struck a more nuanced note, focusing on protecting the percentage share of representation enjoyed by states, rather than freezing the absolute number of seats. Tamil Nadu CM Vijay with CMs of southern states at the zonal council meeting (PTI) The difference is significant. Essentially, Vijay's latest pitch appears to leave room for an expansion in the total number of Lok Sabha seats, provided the relative political weight of southern states, such as Tamil Nadu, does not get diluted.This is what has rankled the opposition and sparked an uproar from parties like the DMK, which accused Vijay of a sudden "U-turn" after the late-night meeting with Amit Shah.Chennai-based political expert TR Jawahar told IndiaToday.in that it was undoubtedly a "significant softening of stand" by Vijay on delimitation."From the strong, specific and unanimous assembly resolution position to a vague plea for safeguards. It not only lends credence to allegations of pressure from the Centre, but will ruffle allies too," Jawahar said.However, he underlined that Vijay might have taken a cautious approach as the fresh delimitation bill had not been tabled in Parliament yet."Vijay is not very confrontational. That is part of his statecraft. But one has to wait to see how Vijay responds in Assembly or through a public statement," Jawahar said.WHAT ARE THE SOUTH'S CONCERNS ON DELIMITATION?The development comes amid the Centre's renewed push to get support for the delimitation bill, which it has linked to the implementation of women's reservation in Parliament and state assemblies.Being a constitutional amendment bill, the BJP-led government will require two-thirds support to get it passed in Lok Sabha. A previous attempt to pass the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was defeated by a united opposition in April.The bill sought to redraw constituencies based on the 2011 Census - a key flashpoint between the opposition and the BJP. The BJP, meanwhile, has pointed to the Constitution, which states that the freeze on allocation of seats based on the 1971 Census will end after the first Census is conducted after 2026.Now, Tamil Nadu and other southern states have argued that linking the delimitation exercise to the 2011 Census would unfairly benefit the North, where population growth has been higher. The southern states have historically performed better in population control.Thus, they fear it would not only result in the South losing its voice in Parliament, but it might also lose out on tax devolution.According to sources, the Centre has kept its option open for calling a special session on the delimitation bill. The government has underlined that the Monsoon session was adjourned sine die, and had not been "prorogued" or permanently ended.'WILL RAHUL GANDHI CALL VIJAY A TRAITOR?'Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vijay's apparent softening of stance on the issue has drawn sharp fire from the DMK and the AIADMK.Addressing reporters, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran recounted that a few weeks ago, a "big national party" called DMK "traitors of Tamil Nadu" amid buzz that the party would change its stance on the delimitation bill."They also said the delimitation bill will be tabled in the Monsoon session and that the DMK will change its stance. When the press approached us, we said the DMK has never changed its stance," Maran said, in a veiled dig at the Congress.Training his guns on CM Vijay, the DMK MP said, "When the Chief Minister met Amit Shah, his stand changed. After two resolutions - one at the all-party MPs' meeting and one in the Assembly - seeking no delimitation, Vijay changed his stand to seeking fair delimitation. Will Rahul Gandhi call Vijay a traitor?"The AIADMK also attacked the TVK government over the flip-flop on delimitation, calling it a complete "U-turn"."What you are saying now is the same thing the Union government said. Why conduct such a resolution drama just to flip-flop like this?" the AIADMK said in a post on X.AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran also lashed out at Vijay, asserting that the "resolution drama" staged by the TVK government in the assembly to divert attention from Tamil Nadu's major issues "has been exposed".The TVK's IT wing, in a post on X, however, emphasised that there was no change in the party's stance.For now, the debate over delimitation has acquired a new layer of intrigue following Vijay's apparent softening of stance on the issue. The political storm is only likely to intensify.- EndsPublished By: Abhishek DePublished On: Aug 21, 2026 11:49 IST