Why in news
- Debate continues over post-census delimitation and maintaining the fixed Lok Sabha strength at 543 seats to ensure federal equity.
What is the Delimitation framework?
- Process of fixing boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country based on recent census data under Article 82 and Article 170.
- The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001 froze the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha at 543 until the first census after 2026.
Key constitutional provisions
- Article 81 mandates uniform ratio between seat count and population across States as far as practicable.
- Article 82 requires realignment of seats following each census by a statutory Delimitation Commission.
- The 42nd Amendment Act initially froze seat allocation based on the 1971 Census to encourage population control efforts.
Why it matters
- Unrestricted population-proportional delimitation risks penalising southern States that successfully implemented national family planning policies.
- Federal stability requires balancing democratic representation (one vote, one value) with equal state participation.
Key terms
Delimitation Commission
High-power body appointed by the President whose orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned before any court.
Prelims facts
- Delimitation Commission orders cannot be challenged in any court of law.
- Current state-wise allocation of seats in Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 Census.
Mains discussion
- Examine federal equity concerns arising from post-2026 delimitation and structural solutions to balance representation.
Source: The Hindu Lead