"Academic Argues Delimitation Freeze Should Continue for 25 More Years"
Delimitation
the process of redrawing parliamentary/assembly constituency boundaries to reflect population changes.
Demographic transition
the shift from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates as a society develops economically and socially.
Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies to reflect changes in population. Without it, one Member of Parliament could represent five lakh people while another represents twenty-five lakh, defeating the principle of equal representation. The constitutional basis for delimitation lies in Articles 82 and 170, which mandate readjustment of Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assembly seats after every census. The Delimitation Commission is a statutory body constituted by the President under the Delimitation Act. Its orders, once finalised, are non-justiciable, they cannot be challenged in any court of law.
India has had four Delimitation Commissions so far (constituted in 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002). The most consequential political decision on this subject came in 1976, when Parliament froze the inter-state allocation of Lok Sabha seats through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment. This freeze was extended again in 2001 through the 84th Constitutional Amendment, locking the seat-share of each state at its 1971 population figures until at least 2026. The rationale was to avoid penalising states that had successfully controlled population growth, primarily the southern and smaller northern states, by reducing their parliamentary representation relative to high-growth states.
The core tension in delimitation is between two constitutional principles. The first is 'one person, one vote, one value', the democratic norm that each vote should carry equal weight, implying that seats should be proportional to population. The second is the federal principle, the idea that states, regardless of size, are co-equal units of the Union and should retain a meaningful voice in national legislation. When these two principles conflict, as they do in a country with uneven demographic transition, Parliament must choose which to prioritise.
The concept of demographic transition is central to this debate. States in southern India completed their fertility decline earlier, driven by better nutrition, health, education, and social stability. States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar began significant population growth only after 1971, when these development parameters remained weaker. …
How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India till December 2023?
Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam':
1.These provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha.
2.After becoming an Act, this will be in force for 15 years.
3.It has provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India since Independence?
Consider the following statements regarding the freeze on inter-state allocation of Lok Sabha seats in India:
1.The freeze was first enacted through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976.
2.The 84th Constitutional Amendment extended the freeze until 2026.
3.The freeze applies to the redrawing of constituency boundaries within states as well as between states.
4.Delimitation Commission orders can be challenged in the Supreme Court of India.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to delimitation in India, consider the following pairs:
Constitutional provision — Subject matter
1.Article 82 — Readjustment of Lok Sabha seats after each census
2.Article 170 — Readjustment of State Legislative Assembly seats after each census
3.Article 243ZA — Delimitation of parliamentary constituencies
4.Article 81 — Composition of the House of the People
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Consider the following statements regarding the 'one person, one vote, one value' principle and delimitation in India:
1.Parliament amended the Constitution in 1976 to override this principle for inter-state seat allocation.
2.The principle continues to operate for intra-state constituency delimitation.
3.The principle is explicitly mentioned by name in the Constitution of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Assertion (A): Southern states fear that a fresh delimitation based on current population data will reduce their proportional representation in the Lok Sabha.
Reason (R): Southern states completed their demographic transition earlier than northern states, resulting in slower population growth relative to the national average.
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