Stalin To Chair First Meeting On Delimitation In Chennai Today, BJP Calls It 'Divisionary Tactic' — Top Points

Earlier today, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar arrived in Chennai to participate in the first meeting on 'fair' delimitation. CMs from Kerala, Punjab, and Telangana arrived yesterday.

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin will chair the first Joint Action Committee meeting on delimitation today in Chennai.

Source : PTI

With Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin set to chair a high-level meeting on delimitation on Saturday, several leaders have started arriving in the state to discuss concerns over the proposed exercise. Stalin had invited leaders from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, and Punjab to join Tamil Nadu for the Joint Action Committee meeting on "Fair Delimitation".

Earlier today, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar arrived at Chennai Airport to participate in the first Joint Action Committee meeting. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, and BRS working president K T Rama Rao had reached Chennai a day ahead of the meeting.

Here are the top updates on the first JAC meeting on delimitation called by Stalin:

• Tamil Nadu CM Stalin on Friday welcomed leaders from seven states including Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, and Punjab for a meeting on delimitation, saying that it was more than a meeting and marked the beginning of a "movement" that will shape the future of the country to achieve fair delimitation.
  
  
• A day before the meeting, several CMs arrived in Chennai to attend the JAC meet. In addition to Vijayan, Reddy, and Mann, working president of Shiromani Akali Dal Balwinder Singh Bhunder, and general secretary of Indian Union Muslim League Kerala P M A Salam, were also among the leaders who arrived in Chennai to take part in the meeting. 
  
  
• On the eve of the meeting, Stalin called it a "historic day for Indian federalism", and described the DMK-led all-party meeting held on March 5 as a "landmark movement" as it saw the participation from 58 parties that put their differences aside for a single cause.
  
  
• BJP has opposed the meeting, with Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai calling it a "delusional drama". He slammed DMK for spreading misinformation and even posted a video clip of controversial speech by state minister T M Anbarasan, who sparked a row with his comparison on population growth in the northern states.
  
  
• BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan called the meeting a "divisionary tactic" and slammed the DMK for "deflecting public attention away from its corrupt, failed, disastrous misrule". "DMK's divisive politics of fearmongering, attempting to mislead and misinform people will badly boomerang back on the DMK. Rahul Gandhi and Congress, with their mutually conflicting and contradicting stand on delimitation, are indulging in a very pathetic politics of opportunism which is utterly condemnable," he said.
  
  
• Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar received a warm welcome as he reached Chennai Airport to participate in the meeting today. Upon arriving, he vowed to stand united with the leaders from the seven other states to ensure the "seats are not reduced" and that the "federal structure of the country remains protected". 
  
  "I would like to congratulate MK Stalin. He has taken the first step. We are very proud that he is protecting the federal structure and the Constitution of this country. Coming together is the beginning. Today, all of us will discuss what the progress will be, and work together... Leaders from Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, we all have joined here... At any cost, we cannot let down our country and our seats be reduced... We are a very progressive state. We have stood fast economically and in literacy... We will stand united, and we will make sure none of our seats are reduced... I welcome all the BJP black flags. I am not afraid even if they send me to Tihar jail," he said.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar reaches Chennai Airport to participate in the First Joint Committee meeting on Delimitation called by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. pic.twitter.com/wHqTUbVXXq

— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2025

• The Trinamool Congress, however, has decided to skip the meeting as it wants to prioritise addressing concerns over duplicate voter ID numbers, which it believes could have an impact onupcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, PTI reported.

• Meanwhile, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) nominated senior leaders Sanjay Das Burma and Amar Patnaik to attend the meeting in Chennai.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that southern states will not lose any parliamentary seat and accused Stalin of spreading misinformation. Shah, while addressing the Rajya Sabha, said that every Indian language is a treasure for the country. "Hindi is not in competition with any Indian language, it is only a friend of other languages," he said.
  
  
• Earlier this month on March 5, Stalin had said that delimitation should be done on the basis of 1971 population and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make an assurance in the Parliament that Tamil Nadu's representational percentage of 7.18 will not be changed under any circumstance.