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Fair Seat Allocation
Context
As India approaches 2026, the freeze on Lok Sabha seat redistribution (based on population) — enforced since 1971 — is set to end. This has triggered intense debate, especially in southern states, over fears of losing political representation in Parliament.
What is the issue (Seat freeze since 1971)?
- ‘Democracy’ means ‘rule or government by the people’. It follows that the government is elected by a majority with the broad principle of ‘one citizen-one vote-one value’.
- The number of seats in the Lok Sabha based on the 1951, 1961 and 1971 Census was fixed at 494, 522 and 543, when the population was 36.1, 43.9 and 54.8 crore respectively.
- According to Articles 81 and 82, Lok Sabha seats should be revised after every Census.
- However, to encourage population control, Parliament froze seat allocation based on the 1971 Census — extended till 2026.
- This was done through the 42nd Amendment Act till the year 2000 and was extended by the 84th Amendment Act till 2026.
- This helped avoid punishing states (mainly southern) that that had effectively controlled population growth.
- However, it led to massive population imbalance.
- Population has grown unevenly since 1971.
- Northern States (e.g., UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan) saw rapid growth.
- Southern States (e.g., Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh) managed to stabilize their populations.
- As per current projections (2026), if seats are redistributed based on population, northern states will gain significantly, and southern/smaller states may lose out in terms of representation.
- This raises concerns of northern domination and southern under-representation in Parliament. This disparity means northern states may gain disproportionate seats, while southern states get very little or none.
What is Delimitation vs Readjustment (Two proposal)?
- There are two proposals being debated:
- Delimitation = Redrawing of constituency boundaries (not increasing seats).
- Readjustment = Recalculation of total seats allotted to each state based on new population data (Article 82).
- In both cases, southern and smaller states like Kerala, TN, Punjab, and the Northeast would be at a disadvantage.
Violation of Federalism
- It potentially violate Federalism as,
- It may dilute the voice of states that succeeded in population control.
- It could shift political power unfairly to a few high-growth states.
- It creates tensions in centre-state relations and may lead to regional alienation.
Way Forward
The upcoming delimitation exercise involves a difficult balancing act between:
- Democratic principles (equal representation based on population), and
- Federal values (equal voice to all states regardless of size).
India must adopt a fair, sensitive, and inclusive approach that respects both numerical strength and policy success in population control.
Fact Box: Delimitation
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