NEWS
- 25 March | The Honest UPSC Talk Nobody Tells You Click Here to see Abhijit Asokan AIR 234 talk →
- 10 March | SFG Folks! This dude got Rank 7 in CSE 2025 with SFG! →
- 10 March | SFG Folks! She failed prelims 3 times. Then cleared the exam in one go! Watch Now! →
News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah announced a proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats with about 50% rise for each State.
About Distribution of Lok Sabha Seats Across States
- Distribution of Lok Sabha seats is done through delimitation by a Commission, as provided under Articles 81 and 82.
- Present Distribution of Seats in Lok Sabha:
- Total Strength: The maximum strength is 550 seats (530 from States and 20 from Union Territories), while the present strength is 543 elected members.
- Basis of Distribution: The allocation among States is based on the 1971 Census, while constituency division within States is based on the 2001 Census.
- Freeze Provision: The total number of seats is frozen until the first census after 2026.
- Key Aspects of Seat Distribution:
- Constitutional Provisions: Articles 81 and 82 govern seat distribution through a two-step process:
- First, allocation of seats among States; second, division of States into constituencies. This ensures balance between federalism and democracy.
- Article 81: It defines the composition of the Lok Sabha and ensures a uniform ratio between population and seats, except for States with less than 6 million population.
- Article 82: It provides for readjustment of seats and boundaries after each Census through a Delimitation Commission.
- Constitutional Provisions: Articles 81 and 82 govern seat distribution through a two-step process:
- Amendments Related to Freeze:
- 84th Amendment Act (2001): It extended the freeze on the number of seats per State until the first census after 2026.
- 87th Amendment Act (2003): It allowed redrawing of constituency boundaries within States based on the 2001 Census, without changing total seats.
- 104th Amendment Act (2019): It removed the provision for nominating two Anglo-Indian members.
- Recent Proposals:
- Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026: It aims to increase the Lok Sabha’s maximum seat capacity to 888 seats.
- Uniform Expansion: Each State may get around 50% additional seats, while maintaining its proportional share.
- Women’s Reservation: The 33% reservation under the 106th Amendment is linked to this new delimitation process.
