The Chief Minister protested by burning copies of the Constituency Redrawal Bill.

Tamil Nadu: Chief Minister Stalin hoisted a black flag and protested in Namakkal this morning (April 16) against the redelineation of Lok Sabha constituencies in Parliament, and burned a copy of the Constituency Redelineation Bill.

This session is being held to introduce, debate, and pass three bills, including the 131st Amendment to the Constitution, which will implement 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies from 2029 and correspondingly increase the total number of Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850. Against the backdrop of women’s reservation, the central government’s proposed reshuffle of constituencies has been strongly opposed by opposition parties. Particularly, there has been strong opposition that southern states, which have better population control, may see reduced representation.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had previously warned that the Constituency Redelineation Bill, if introduced in Parliament, would adversely impact the representation of southern states. In a statement issued on Wednesday, he also announced that party members and the public would participate in protests across Tamil Nadu by hoisting black flags on homes. Following strong protests from major opposition parties, including the DMK, Chief Minister Stalin announced that protests against the amendment would be held today and that black flags should be hoisted on homes.