All party meeting: DMK seeks safeguards and clarity, not confrontation on delimitation

NEW DELHI: The DMK appears to be recalibrating its parliamentary strategy on one of the Narendra Modi government's most consequential constitutional reforms, signalling it is prepared to engage with the proposed women's reservation framework while seeking safeguards on delimitation instead of outright opposing the exercise that could redraw India's electoral map.

At the all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session on Sunday, the party sought a "clear formula" from the Centre on implementing the Constitution amendment providing one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, indicating that its principal concern is the mechanism of implementation and its impact on southern states.

"The DMK is in favour of the Women's Reservation Bill on the current strength in the Lok Sabha, but we want more clarity on the delimitation issue," DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said after the meeting. He added that if delimitation adversely affected southern states, it should be deferred for 25 years.


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The formulation marks a subtle but significant shift. Rather than rejecting delimitation as inseparable from the legislation, the party has framed its position around the safeguards that should accompany the exercise, suggesting the debate has moved from whether delimitation should happen to how it should be implemented.

The shift comes months after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was introduced earlier this year, when the issue had acquired sharper political overtones ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. With no immediate electoral contest now, the party sees greater room to negotiate the contours of the legislation while protecting the state's long-standing concerns over parliamentary representation.

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Consultations within the DMK are expected to continue before the party finalises its parliamentary strategy. Party sources told ET that Chief Minister M K Stalin, returning from an overseas visit, is expected to discuss the issue with senior leaders and MPs.

A senior DMK leader said any final position would be shaped as much by parliamentary negotiations as by political messaging in Tamil Nadu. The party wants any eventual convergence with the Centre's formula to reflect accommodation of its concerns rather than a broader political shift. At the same time, leaders are conscious that any tactical engagement with the BJP should not blur the ideological distinctions the DMK has consistently drawn on issues such as Hindi imposition, federalism and Hindutva, particularly as it seeks to deny political space to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).