Context:
- The delimitation of constituencies for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies is to be carried out on the basis of the first Census after 2026.
- The 2021 Census was originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently due to delays on the part of the Central government.
- This has caused debates between the north and the south. Southern states feel that even after better performance, they may get lesser political representation and reduced funds.
What is Delimitation:
- Delimitation means the process of fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies in each State for the Lok Sabha and Legislative assemblies.
- According to Article 82 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act after every Census that is held every 10 years.
- Objectives of Delimitations:
- To redraw boundaries in a way so that the population of all seats be the same throughout the state.
- To provide equal representation to equal segments of the population.
How Delimitation is carried out:
- Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission, appointed by the Government of India under provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act.
- The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.
- It is composed of the following:
- a retired Supreme Court judge,
- the Chief Election Commissioner of India and
- respective State Election Commissioners.
Note: the last delimitation exercise took place in 1976.
Why Delimitation was frozen in 1976 and 2001?
- It has been frozen as per the 1971 Census in order to encourage population control measures so that States with higher population growth do not end up having higher number of seats.
- This was done through the 42nd Amendment Act till the year 2000 and was extended by the 84th Amendment Act till 2026.
- Hence, the population based on which the number of seats is allocated refers to the population as per the 1971 Census.
What are the issues?
- Population explosion
- The population explosion that happened during the last 5 decades has been uneven.
- States like UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan having a greater increase than States like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Unequal representation of states in the Lok Sabha.
- According to the 2019 research paper, India’s Emerging Crisis of Representation, if the delimitation is carried out according to the 2031 Census (the earliest scheduled after 2026), Bihar and Uttar Pradesh alone would gain as many as 21 seats in total, while Tamil Nadu and Kerala together will lose 16 seats.
Emerging Scenario:
- There are two scenarios that are being discussed in the public domain with respect to the revised the delimitation exercise best on the projected population of various states as of 2026:
- First, is to continue with the existing 543 seats and their redistribution amongst various states.
- Second, is to increase the number of seats to 848 with proportionate increase among various states.
Debates between North & South:
- Northern States:
- Support Delimitation on the basis of the next census
- Adherence to outdated constituency sizes has given rise to malapportionment between electoral constituencies and population shares.
- For examples, In Bihar, one member of Parliament (MP) represents approximately 3.1 million citizens, while in Kerala, the corresponding ratio stands at 1.75 million.
- This will also satisfy the principle of proportional leadership.
Southern States:
- Delimitation will reward the non-performers of population control policies.
- Skewing Indian democracy in favor of the Hindi States, with other regions risking a loss of electoral dominance.
- Non-Hindi states that contribute a majority of GDP, resources, revenue and taxes will lose say in how their monies are used.
Debates between North & South:
- Southern States:
- Would also affect fiscal federalism: States such as Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu receive only about 30% of total funds that contribute as direct taxes, Bihar and UP receive 250-350% of their contribution.
- It also goes against the philosophy of freezing seats as per the 1971 census with the States that have been better at controlling the population losing out on their political significance.
Possible Solutions:
- Can adopt the best international practices Like in USA or European Union:
- In a federation like the U.S., the number of seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent of our Lok Sabha) has been capped at 435 since 1913.
- The population of the country has increased almost four times from 9.4 crore in 1911 to an estimated 33.4 crore in 2023.
- The seats among the States are redistributed after every Census through the ‘method of equal proportion’.
- This does not result in any significant gain or loss for any of the States.
- For example, based on the Census of 2020, the reapportionment has resulted in no change in the number of seats for 37 States.
- Texas gained two seats, five other States gained one seat each and seven States lost one seat each.
- In the European Union (EU) Parliament which consists of 720 members, the number of seats is divided between 27 member countries based on the principle of ‘degressive proportionality’.
- Under this principle, the ratio of population to the number of seats shall increase as the population increases.
- For example, Denmark with a population of around 60 lakh has 15 seats (average population of 4 lakh per member) as against Germany with a population of 8.3 crore having 96 seats (average population of 8.6 lakh per member).
- Extending the freeze by another 25 years.
- Permanently freeze delimitation as far as the India-wide redistribution of seats across States is concerned.
- Balancing delimitation with decentralization.
- Increasing the number of MLA in each State to address the democratic representational requirement.
- Empowering local bodies.
Conclusion:
The upcoming delimitation exercise, based on the post-2026 Census, presents both challenges and opportunities for India’s political landscape. While it aims to ensure equal representation aligned with population changes, it also brings forth significant concerns regarding regional equity, particularly in the context of North-South debates. Southern states worry about potential reductions in political influence and resources despite their success in population control measures, while Northern states push for fair representation according to population growth. Balancing these divergent regional interests will be critical. Policymakers must consider inclusive, innovative solutions—perhaps drawing from international practices like those in the U.S. or E.U.—to maintain a fair and balanced democratic structure in India.
Possible UPSC Questions:
- Discuss the constitutional and socio-political implications of delimitation in India, particularly in light of the upcoming Census after 2026.
- How does the process of delimitation aim to balance population changes and democratic representation? Evaluate its impact on North and South Indian states.
- What were the reasons for freezing delimitation based on the 1971 Census, and how have they influenced political representation in India?
- Explain the North-South debate over delimitation. How does it affect fiscal federalism and democratic equity?
- What lessons can India learn from international practices in constituency delimitation to ensure fair representation across diverse states?
