Tamil Nadu minister reaffirms stand on freezing Lok Sabha seats at 543

Minister Aadhav Arjuna said in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday that the state government and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay remain firmly committed to the stance of freezing Lok Sabha seats at 543 for the next 25 years, backed by legislation. He said this was the position reflected in the resolution adopted by the Assembly on August 12. "We don't want fair delimitation. What we want is — freeze delimitation," he said. The minister said he was clarifying the government's stance amid a "misinformation campaign" that it had softened its position on delimitation following Vijay's speech at the Southern Zonal Council meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Mahabalipuram on Thursday. The clarification came after opposition parties alleged a softening of the government's stance on the delimitation issue.