🔆 The Federal Dilemma of Delimitation
📍 What is Delimitation?
✅ Process of fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
✅ Undertaken by a Delimitation Commission set up under an Act of Parliament.
✅ Last major delimitation was based on the 1971 Census population.
✅ The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001 extended the freeze on inter-State allocation of seats until the first Census after 2026.
📍 Current Issue
✅ The Centre introduced the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 to increase the maximum Lok Sabha seats from 550 to 850.
✅ The government indicated that each State/UT’s Lok Sabha seats could increase by 50% on a pro-rata basis.
✅ The debate centres on balancing population-based representation with federal equity.
📍 Core Federal Dilemma
✅ Population-based delimitation could benefit high-population States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
✅ States that achieved greater success in population control, particularly southern States, could see their relative representation decline.
✅ This creates tension between:
“One person, one vote” → equal representation based on population.
Federal balance → protecting the political weight of States that successfully controlled population growth.
📍 Key Concern: Rajya Sabha
✅ The article notes that a substantial increase in Lok Sabha seats could further strengthen the Lower House relative to the Rajya Sabha, potentially affecting its role as a federal check.
📍 Possible Reconciliation
✅ Maintain a balance between democratic representation and federalism.
✅ The article suggests considering reservation of seats for women, proportional increases and mechanisms that avoid abrupt disruption to State representation.
📝 UPSC Mains Question
“Delimitation is essential for democratic representation but can also create tensions within India’s federal structure. Discuss the constitutional and political challenges involved in the delimitation exercise.”
(250 words | 15 marks)
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