The story so far:
The Union government had introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to increase the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats from the existing 550 to 850. It had also introduced a Bill to set up the Delimitation Commission in 2026. However, the Constitution Amendment Bill was defeated in the Lok Sabha, and thereafter, the Delimitation Bill was withdrawn by the government.
What are the existing provisions?
Delimitation refers to the process of fixing the number of seats and the boundaries of territorial constituencies in each State for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies. This exercise is carried out by a Delimitation Commission set up through an Act of Parliament. Such exercises have previously been conducted based on the 1951, 1961, and 1971 Censuses. The number of Lok Sabha seats, based on the 1971 Census, was fixed at 543 when the population was 54.8 crore. The number has been frozen, based on the 1971 Census, to encourage population control measures. As per the current constitutional provisions, this number is to be readjusted based on the 2027 Census.
Understanding the delimitation exercise | Explained
