Onmanorama Explains | Lok Sabha expansion, women’s reservation and early delimitation

The Union Government’s proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 signals one of the most far-reaching changes to India’s electoral framework in decades. At one level, it seeks to expand the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to as many as 850 seats. But the deeper shift lies in how representation will be recalibrated across states, how quickly women’s reservation can be implemented, and how the balance of power within India’s federal structure could evolve.

At the heart of the proposal is a structural correction that the Centre argues is long overdue. India’s current seat allocation is still anchored to population data from the 1971 Census, while constituency boundaries reflect the 2001 Census. In a country that has undergone massive demographic changes over five decades, this has led to growing disparities in representation.

What are the changes proposed?
Increase in strength: By amending Article 81 of the Constitution of India, the Bill allows for up to 815 members from states and 35 from Union Territories, effectively expanding Parliament to reflect present-day population realities while also creating space for new policy mandates such as women’s reservation.

Definition of population: The Bill redefines “population” across Articles, allowing Parliament to decide which Census data to use under Article 82 of the Constitution of India and Article 170 of the Constitution of India, instead of automatically relying on the latest Census.

Delimitation: A key change is that delimitation is no longer strictly tied to the Census. The amendment to Article 82 of the Constitution of India removes the requirement that delimitation must follow the first Census after 2026, allowing the process to be carried out earlier. The Bill also formally assigns this responsibility to a Delimitation Commission, which will act based on Census data determined by Parliament.

State Assemblies: Similar changes are extended to State Assemblies through amendments to Article 170 of the Constitution of India, ensuring that seat allocation is no longer strictly tied to each Census and that delimitation is carried out by the Commission.

SC/ST reservation: The Bill also amends provisions related to SC and ST reservation under Articles 330 and 332, updating the definition of population and ensuring proportionate representation, particularly in northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

Women’s reservation for 15 years: In addition, the Bill replaces Article 334A of the Constitution of India to ensure that women’s reservation begins after delimitation alone, without waiting for a Census. The reservation will continue for 15 years, unless extended by Parliament, and seats reserved for women will be rotated across constituencies, including within SC/ST reserved seats.

The Bill is set to be taken up during a special session of Parliament of India on April 16 and 17.

Delimitation without awaiting Census
The most consequential change lies in the proposed amendment to Article 82 of the Constitution of India. The Constitution currently requires that delimitation be carried out only after the first Census conducted post-2026. The new Bill removes this requirement entirely, allowing delimitation to take place even before fresh Census data becomes available.

While allowing the government to advance electoral reforms without waiting for a delayed Census, it also opens the door to redrawing constituencies based on older population data. Critics argue that this could distort representation, as demographic realities may have shifted considerably since the last available data set.

Any reallocation based on population is likely to favour northern states with higher population growth, while southern states that have stabilised their populations may see their relative share of seats decline. This has revived concerns about whether states that successfully implemented population control policies are being penalised. M K Stalin has strongly opposed the move, warning that Tamil Nadu will not remain silent if its political influence is reduced.

Fast-tracking women’s reservation
This change is closely tied to the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023. Currently, the one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state Assemblies can only take effect after both a Census and delimitation exercise are completed, potentially delaying implementation well into the next decade.

By amending Article 334A of the Constitution of India, the government aims to remove this bottleneck and enable reservation to be rolled out immediately after delimitation. In practical terms, this raises the possibility that women’s reservation could be implemented before the 2029 general elections.

The expansion of Lok Sabha seats allows for the accommodation of women’s reservation without displacing existing representatives. However, activists have questioned why delimitation is required to implement reservation for women in legislative bodies and demanded that it should be implemented on the basis of the current strength of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Beyond federal concerns, critics have flagged institutional risks. Political analyst Yogendra Yadav argues that the Bill removes the existing constitutional freeze on seat allocation based on the 1971 Census without clearly defining new safeguards. By shifting key decisions, such as the basis for seat allocation, from the Constitution to ordinary law, the amendment could allow future governments greater discretion.

“Actual reallocation and determination of boundaries would be done by the Delimitation Commission, on which the Constitution is silent. And this cannot be challenged in a court of law,” Yadav said.