Hyderabad: The Union government has introduced a three-bill legislative package to reshape political representation in India.
These Bills aim to restart the delimitation process based on population metrics and expand the Lok Sabha, and operationalise women’s reservation in the legislatures.
The package includes the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Delimitation Bill, 2026, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and will be taken up during a Special Session of Parliament starting April 16.
What are concerns of South States?
The proposals have drawn strong attention and concern across several Southern States.
Political parties and leaders in the region have warned that a population-based delimitation exercise could reduce their Parliamentary representation despite lower population growth and long-standing success in population control measures.
They argue this could alter the federal balance and weaken the political voice of the South in national decision-making.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy demanded that any future delimitation exercise must ensure a pro rata increase in Lok Sabha seats for southern states.
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram said that the representation of Southern States will reduce to 20.7 per cent, while the representation of Northern States will increase after delimitation.
Why is delimitation being restarted?
At the center of the proposals is the removal of the Constitutional freeze imposed in 1976 on the readjustment of seats based on population. This freeze had tied representation to the 1971 Census and was later extended until 2026.
The new amendment allows delimitation based on the ‘latest published Census figures’ as determined by Parliament. Since the next Census is yet to be completed, the 2011 Census is currently the latest available data.
The government has said that India’s demographic profile has changed significantly with population shifts, migration and urbanisation creating disparities between constituencies.
Expansion of Lok Sabha
The Constitution Amendment Bill proposes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 members to 850 members.
Out of this, up to 815 members will be from states and 35 from Union Territories. The amendment also allows Parliament to decide which Census will be used for seat allocation. It removes the requirement of readjustment after every Census.
Changes to State Assemblies
The Bill proposes amendments to Article 170, which governs State Legislative Assemblies. The lifting of the freeze means the number of Assembly seats in each State could change based on population. Constituency boundaries will also be redrawn.
It also requires that the delimitation exercise be carried out by a Delimitation Commission.
What will the Delimitation Commission do?
The Delimitation Bill, 2026, provides for a Delimitation Commission headed by a sitting or former Supreme Court judge, with the Chief Election Commissioner and State Election Commissioners as members.
The Commission will determine:
- The number of seats to be allocated to each State and Union Territory in the Lok Sabha
- The total number of seats in State Legislative Assemblies
- The number of seats to be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- The delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies
The Bill also requires constituencies to be geographically compact and to take into account administrative boundaries, communication facilities and public convenience while delimiting constituencies.
The process will include draft proposals, public objections and hearings. Once finalised and published, its orders will have the force of law and cannot be challenged in court
Women’s reservation and delimitation
The Bills seek to operationalise the one-third reservation for women introduced through the 2023 constitutional amendment, also known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
This law provides for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. Its implementation was linked to a fresh delimitation exercise. The new Bills aim to enable that process so that the reservation can be brought into effect.
The reservation will come into effect only after the delimitation exercise and will apply to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, including within SC and ST quotas.
Reserved seats will be rotated across constituencies and the reservation will remain in force for 15 years, unless extended by Parliament.
Changes for Union Territories
The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, makes corresponding changes to laws governing Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry to align them with the new delimitation and reservation framework.
What will be the impact on south states?
This concern is linked to the fact that the earlier freeze on seat readjustment was introduced to ensure that states which successfully controlled population growth were not penalised in representation.
According to the reports, this freeze was first imposed in 1976 and later extended until 2026. It kept Lok Sabha seat allocation tied to older Census figures, including the 1971 Census.
A new delimitation based on updated population figures could shift seats towards states with higher population growth. This includes states in the Hindi heartland. On the other hand, Southern States, which have lower population growth rates due to successful population control measures, could see a relatively smaller share of seats.