Delimitation bill: Centre proposes to increase Lok Sabha seats to 850 from 543

The Union government will introduce bills on Thursday to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 from 543.

Of these, 815 seats will be from the states and 35 from the Union Territories.

While 543 MPs are currently elected to the House, the Constitution formally caps the strength of the Lok Sabha at 550.

Although speculation about the amendment to the law had been rife in political circles for the past two weeks, copies of the draft legislation were shared with MPs for the first time on Tuesday. Parliament will reconvene for three days starting Thursday.

The process of fixing the boundaries of electoral constituencies is called delimitation. Article 82 of the Constitution states that after every census is completed, the allocation of Lok Sabha seats to each state must be adjusted based on changes in its population.

The current composition of the Lok Sabha is based on the 1971 Census. According to the 84th Amendment Act of 2001, constituency boundaries were frozen until the first census after 2026.

The census, which began on April 1, is expected to conclude in 2027.

The bill that will be introduced in Parliament proposes to amend Article 82 of the Constitution to remove the entire proviso. This will pave the way for delimitation to take place...

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