India’s Delimitation Debate
Prelims:
Indian Polity and
Governance
Mains:
GS Paper II-
Indian Polity and Governance
Current
relevance:
A fresh
debate has emerged over the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies,
particularly regarding the timing, allocation of seats among States and
implementation of women’s reservation.
Highlights:
1.
Delimitation:
Delimitation is the process of determining the
boundaries of territorial constituencies for a legislative body.
2.
Delimitation
Commission:
i.
In India,
delimitation is carried out by the Delimitation Commission (Boundary
Commission), a high-powered statutory body whose orders have the force
of law and cannot be challenged before a court.
ii.
The
Commission’s orders are placed before the Lok Sabha and the concerned State
Legislative Assembly, but neither legislature can modify them.
3.
Constitutional
Basis:
Under Article 82 of the Constitution,
Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after a Census, following which the
Central Government constitutes a Delimitation Commission to redraw
parliamentary constituencies.
4.
Historical
Background:
Since Independence, four Delimitation
Commissions have been constituted at the national level.
5.
Constitutional
Framework & Trigger for Delimitation:
i.
Articles 81
and 82 provide the constitutional
basis for the next delimitation exercise.
ii.
After
publication of data from the first Census conducted after 2026, two
processes are envisaged:
iii.
Reallocation
of the existing Lok Sabha seats
among States and Union Territories based on population.
iv.
Redrawing
of individual parliamentary constituencies within each State.
v.
A fresh delimitation itself does not
require a Constitutional amendment; an amendment is necessary only if the
existing constitutional framework governing delimitation is to be changed.
vi.
Present
Position:
The current distribution of 543 Lok Sabha seats
among States continues to be based on the 1971 Census population figures.
The last reallocation of Lok Sabha seats among States took place in 1973.
6.
Seat
Reallocation & Federal Representation:
i.
Once the
population benchmark shifts from the 1971 Census to the 2027 Census, the
distribution of Lok Sabha representation among States is likely to change.
ii.
According to
the given information:
·
Southern
States are likely to experience a
reduction in their share of Lok Sabha seats.
·
Hindi-speaking
States, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan, are likely to
gain representation.
·
Under the
existing constitutional framework, the maximum permitted strength of the Lok
Sabha is 550 seats.
iii.
The debate
therefore involves balancing two competing principles:
·
Federalism — representation of States
·
Democracy — “One Person, One Vote, One Value.”
7.
Women’s
Reservation & Proposed Changes:
i.
Following the 2027
Census, and in the absence of a new Constitutional amendment, the process
would involve reallocation of Lok Sabha seats among States, followed by delimitation
of constituencies within States and implementation of women’s reservation,
under which one-third of Lok Sabha seats nationally and one-third of
seats within each State would be reserved for women.
ii.
Earlier
Proposal:
·
Increase the
Lok Sabha strength to a maximum of 850 seats.
·
Distribute
seats among States based on the 2011 Census through fresh nationwide
delimitation.
·
Reserve one-third
of the total seats for women.
·
The proposed
Constitutional amendment, however, was not passed.
8.
Gerrymandering
& Electoral Implications:
i.
Even when constituencies
contain approximately equal numbers of voters, how their boundaries are
drawn can significantly influence electoral outcomes.
ii.
Two important
methods described are:
·
Cracking: Dispersing a party’s supporters across several constituencies
so that they lack sufficient concentration to win seats.
·
Packing: Concentrating a party’s supporters heavily within
a few constituencies, causing it to win those seats by large margins while
weakening its prospects elsewhere.
iii.
Thus,
delimitation is not merely about achieving numerical equality between
constituencies; the manner in which voters are geographically grouped can
also influence political representation and electoral outcomes.
Source: THE HINDU - https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu-international-9bn2/20260810/281998974275753?srsltid=AfmBOoqeTiqTGaODa91xMbzsC4of16k9-NJZM95c3qNyciovOMhectU7