Serving as vice-chairman of the Council chaired by Amit Shah, CM Vijay asked for a legislative guarantee that no state loses parliamentary representation — and pressed on NEET, Cauvery, Mekedatu and fiscal federalism.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay used the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council on Thursday to seek a legislative assurance from the Union government that no state would lose parliamentary representation as a result of the proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026 — his most direct national-level intervention on the issue so far.
The meeting was held at Mahabalipuram in Chengalpattu district and chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Vijay served as vice-chairman of the session and felicitated Shah at the start of proceedings.
Vijay warned that population-based delimitation could disproportionately affect the southern states, and said there was concern that the Delimitation Bill, 2026 would lead to reduced representation for less-populated southern states as the freeze based on the 1971 Census approaches its end.
The ask is specific and new: not merely opposition to the exercise, but a legislative assurance that states which successfully implemented population control will not be penalised for having done so. That extends the position the Assembly took on 12 August, when it passed a resolution seeking a permanent 543-seat Lok Sabha, and which Vijay carried to the Prime Minister on 14 August.
He was not alone. Karnataka Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar went further, urging the Council itself to adopt a resolution asking the Union government to honour the 1971 Census as the basis for delimitation, retain the existing 543 Lok Sabha seats for 25 years, and fit women's reservation within that existing strength rather than expanding the House.
“We welcome the assurance that no southern state will lose seats,” Shivakumar said. “But representation is not only about numbers. It is about weight, and about voice.” He argued that the southern states had responded to the national call for population stabilisation with discipline and success, and should not be penalised for it.
The two Chief Ministers thus found common ground on representation while remaining opposed on water — and Shivakumar's remark indicates an assurance on seat numbers was given at the meeting, though the southern states are pressing for it to be put in legislative form.
Vijay pressed the Centre to permit Tamil Nadu to fill state quota medical seats on the basis of Class 12 marks, arguing that NEET had adversely affected poor and rural students seeking admission to medical colleges.
This is a narrower and more practical formulation than outright abolition — seeking control over the state's own quota rather than the removal of the examination nationally. The Assembly had passed a resolution seeking national abolition on 11 August.
He set out two principles: that the legitimate rights of lower riparian states and the livelihoods dependent on assured river flows must be fully protected; and that judgments of the Supreme Court, awards of duly constituted tribunals, and the statutory mechanisms established for river management must be implemented in letter and spirit.
On Cauvery, he urged that the Supreme Court's directions and the orders of the Cauvery Water Management Authority be strictly implemented — three days after the court directed Karnataka to ensure compliance, with the matter listed again for 24 August.
On Mekedatu, Tamil Nadu maintained its opposition to the proposed reservoir. Karnataka has submitted a revised Detailed Project Report to the Centre, and Shivakumar used the meeting to make a direct appeal.
“Every drop of water from the Mekedatu project will help farmers in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Help us help you,” he said, adding that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had urged him, as the two walked into the meeting, to settle the Cauvery issue with Tamil Nadu. Framing the project as cooperation rather than confrontation, Shivakumar said rivers did not recognise political boundaries: “Water should unite us, not divide us. The time has now come to move from water sharing to water co-operation.”
Tamil Nadu's objection is unchanged — that a balancing reservoir upstream would reduce the flow its farmers depend on. Vijay and Shivakumar sat side by side through the session.
Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan raised the Mullaperiyar dam at the session, offering Tamil Nadu its full share of water from a new dam — with Tamil Nadu managing the design, location and construction, and Kerala bearing the cost. Vijay and Satheesan held a separate interaction on the sidelines, with Kerala minister P. K. Kunhalikutty also present.
| Ask | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bengaluru Metro extension | From Bommasandra in Karnataka to Hosur in Tamil Nadu |
| River linking | Faster implementation of the Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Palar-Cauvery link |
| Tax powers | Greater flexibility for states in determining tax rates |
| Regional cooperation | Water, security, transport, fisheries and economic issues |
On fiscal federalism, Vijay said the southern states were not seeking special privileges but a fair and equitable approach from the Centre. He argued that closer cooperation among the southern states would strengthen the region and contribute to the country's overall development.
Alongside Vijay and Shivakumar, the meeting was attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The Puducherry Chief Minister did not attend.
Vijay had called on Shah on Wednesday night in Chennai — described by officials as a courtesy visit, and his first interaction with the Union Home Minister since taking charge as Chief Minister.
Southern Zonal Council Delimitation Amit Shah Mekedatu August 20, 2026