Chennai: Amit Shah on Thursday brought together several key southern leaders at the 31st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council in Tamil Nadu, with Chief Ministers and senior representatives from across the region attending the session.

The meeting was held at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove hotel in Kovalam, Chengalpet district, and hosted by the Tamil Nadu government. Among those present were Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

The Southern Zonal Council includes Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, along with the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. Amit Shah chairs the council, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay serves as its Vice Chairman.

The Vice Chairman’s post is held on a rotational basis by the chief ministers of member states, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Zonal Councils function as advisory bodies and provide a platform for the Centre, states and Union Territories to discuss issues of common concern. They also help address disputes between the Centre and states, as well as matters involving different states and Union Territories within the same region.

The councils have remained an important mechanism for cooperative federalism, allowing governments to take up regional issues in a structured forum. According to official data, 69 meetings of various Zonal Councils and their Standing Committees have been held since June 2014 with participation from state governments and central ministries.

Thursday’s meeting is seen as significant because it brought together some of the most prominent political leaders from South India on one platform, underlining the council’s role in regional coordination and dialogue.