DMK to decide stance on Delimitation Bill only after it is tabled in Parliament: R S Bharathi

The DMK will decide on whether to support the Delimitation Bill only after the legislation is formally placed on the table of the Parliament, senior party leader R S Bharathi said on Friday, August 8.

He termed any decision taken before reviewing the finalised bill as "too early and premature".

The Delimitation Bill, 2026, recently debated in the Lok Sabha, has sparked significant political contention, particularly regarding the representation of Southern states.

"Regarding delimitation, we will decide only at the time of the bill being placed on the table of the Parliament, because it is premature now," Bharathi told PTI Videos.

He recalled that the party had opposed the move on the last occasion and had submitted certain suggestions.

The legislative package introduced in April 2026 proposed expanding the Lok Sabha by approximately 50 %, raising the total number of seats from 543 to 816.

The Union Government has asserted that under this model, Southern states will not lose their proportionate share. For instance, the government projects that Tamil Nadu's representation would increase from 39 to 59 seats, maintaining its share of approximately 7.2 % in the expanded House.

"If those suggestions are incorporated in the bill, then we will go into the bill, pros and cons of the bill, line by line," Bharathi added.

He emphasised that the party intends to thoroughly verify and discuss the text once it is available.

"Only after seeing the bill will we decide whether to support or not to support," he added.

(With inputs from PTI)