Bhubaneswar: 

The meeting has been convened by MK Stalin. The DMK has been opposing the delimitation, stating that it is favouring the northern states and BJp was initiating it as people from the north vote for the saffron party.

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, accompanied by Tamil Nadu’s industries minister TRB Rajaa, met Patnaik at the Naveen Niwas to extend an official invitation for the meeting.

Tamilnadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin has invited Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the delimitation meeting and sought his support.

A delegation of the DMK met Naveen Patnaik, who is the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Odisha Assembly in Bhubaneswar. It is understood that Naveen Patnaik accepts Stalin’s invitation to attend the meeting of Opposition parties on delimitation. Naveen will take part in the deliberations on the delimitation issue, the BJD confirmed.

BJD Vice President Debi Prasad Mishra confirmed the development. Mishra said, "Dayanidhi Maran and TRB Rajaa conveyed a message from MK Stalin and invited Naveen Patnaik-led BJD to join a detailed discussion, likely around March 22, to address the concerns of Tamil Nadu and several other states, including Odisha, that could be affected by the delimitation process."

Earlier, MK Stalin had raised concerns over the potential impact of the upcoming delimitation exercise, warning that it could significantly reduce the influence of States that have successfully implemented population control measures.

According to Stalin, two possible approaches to delimitation are under consideration: redistributing the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats among States or increasing the total seats beyond 800. In both scenarios, States with controlled population growth risk losing their share of representation if the exercise is based on post-2026 figures.

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