DMK Open To Backing Delimitation Bill if Centre Accepts Key Demands In Writing

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has indicated that it is prepared to support the proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which is likely to pave the way for the Delimitation Bill ahead of the 2029 general election and along with it the Women’s Reservation Bill, provided the Union government gives written assurances on its key demands in the Bill.

Senior party sources said the DMK's backing would ultimately depend on the final provisions of the legislation, with the party insisting that its core concerns over parliamentary representation and the protection of southern states' interests are explicitly addressed in the Bill. Sources said they have conveyed it to the Union government.

Highly placed DMK sources close to former Chief Minister MK Stalin said the party's decision would hinge on the final content of the Bill. According to the source, the party had finalised its position after consultations with the former Chief Minister.

“When we had met the former CM, it was decided that we would have a few demands. Of the demands, the two non-negotiable demands were that there should be a 50% increase in representation and that it should be in the document,” said the source in Parliament. The source added that the ruling party was on the backfoot because of the protests.

“If they listen to all our demands and give it in writing, then we have no reason to not support them,” added the source. When asked whether the move would affect the party's political prospects in Tamil Nadu, the leader sidestepped the question.

The source explained that the demand stemmed from concerns that using population as the basis for delimitation would reduce the parliamentary share of Tamil Nadu and other southern states. The party is also seeking an assurance from the Centre that the current allocation of seats will remain unchanged for at least another 20 to 25 years.

Delimitation Push Gains Political Momentum

With the monsoon session of Parliament midway and just two weeks remaining until the end of the session, efforts are seemingly underway to garner a two-thirds majority to push a fresh constitutional amendment Bill on reservation for women to 2029, along with a delimitation Bill for expansion of the Lok Sabha from 543 MPs up to 850, which was defeated in the Lower House in the April special session.

An ally of the BJP said that though the Bharatiya Janata Party is aiming to bring the Bill in the last week of the session beginning on August 10, the ruling party is still short of close to 16 votes. Another source said there was speculation that another special session would be called ahead of the winter session if it could not be passed in this session.

The second source also said that Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) had indicated that they would also support the Bill. “They have only 8 MPs in Lok Sabha. There is already speculation that the BJP has reached out to a few of them,” explained the leader.

“A delimitation committee will need at least three years to finish the exercise and if it is not passed this year, it cannot be completed before 2029. It can only be done by 2030, which would be too late,” said a senior source in the BJP.

A ruling party source confirmed that the party was trying to get the Bill before the end of the session. “All attempts are being made to ensure we can bring it,” added another BJP source.

However, a senior Congress leader said that if the DMK supports the delimitation Bill, it would be the end of the road for the party in Tamil Nadu and help Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam solidify their position.

The Numbers In Lok Sabha

In the 543-member Lok Sabha, the effective strength currently stands at 540, with three vacancies. If all members are present and vote, the two-thirds majority required is 360.

Since April, the NDA's strength has risen from 292 to 318, following the support of 20 Trinamool Congress MPs and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs. It still leaves the alliance 42 votes short of the required majority.

The DMK, which has 22 Lok Sabha MPs, opposed the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill in April over concerns about the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026. If the party backs the NDA this time, the ruling alliance’s tally would rise to 340.

The government is also expected to receive support from four YSRCP MPs, three AAP MPs, and one MP each from the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Zoram People's Movement. This will bring the tally to 349.

The INDIA bloc currently has the support of 185 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

The government is keen to shift the narrative away from the 'Cockroach Janata Party' protests, demands for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, and the use of pellet guns against young protesters. The ruling party would like a legislative victory on these Bills, but it would depend on the support the BJP is able to muster.