Amid delimitation row, TN CM tells people to 'have kids quickly'

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday urged the people of the southern state to "give birth to children immediately", amid a raging controversy over a proposed delimitation, noting the state's family planning measures have placed it at a disadvantage and that the population-based exercise could affect its political representation.

- KA Shaji

CHENNAI:

The delimitation exercise — originally scheduled for 2026—redefines the number of representatives a state sends to the Lok Sabha on the basis of population, and given the relative failure of states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in controlling their population, it will mean that they end up with more seats in Parliament.

A 2019 analysis by Milan Vaishnaw and Jamie Hintson of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, projected that such an exercise could see the overall strength of the Lok Sabha rising from 543 to 668, with Uttar Pradesh alone seeing its tally increase from the current 80 to 143 by 2026.

In contrast, Tamil Nadu, which currently sends 39 representatives, could see the number rise to just 49. Kerala, which sends 20, would see no change at all.

Speaking at a marriage ceremony of a DMK worker's son, Stalin said, "Earlier, we used to say, take your time and do not rush in having a baby. But now the situation has changed. Now, I would say give birth to children immediately because the number of MPs representing the state would be based on population."

He added: "We have implemented family planning measures successfully and now we are facing this situation. So I won't any longer say take your time in having a baby."