Context: The Union Government has proposed The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the Lok Sabha’s strength from 543 to 850 members.
- It is a landmark legislative proposal designed to overhaul the composition of the Indian Parliament and the process of redrawing electoral boundaries. It specifically targets Articles 81, 82, and 334A of the Constitution to address long-standing demographic shifts and gender representation gaps.
Aim:
- To expand the Lok Sabha to reflect India’s significant population growth since the 1971 Census.
- To enable immediate implementation of 1/3rd reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by decoupling it from the requirement of a post-2026 Census.
- To provide a modern legal framework for the Delimitation Commission to readjust seats based on the latest available demographic data.
Proposed Key Features:
- Increase in House Strength: Proposes that the Lok Sabha consist of not more than 815 members from States and 35 members from Union Territories, totaling 850 members.
- Amendment to Article 82: Seeks to delete the third proviso that mandates delimitation only after the first Census conducted after 2026. This allows the government to use pre-2026 Census data to redraw constituencies immediately.
- Expedited Women’s Reservation: Amends Article 334A to allow the 1/3rd reservation for women to take effect immediately after delimitation, bypassing the delay originally stipulated in the 106th Amendment Act of 2023.
- Delimitation Commission 2026:
- Empowered to redraw constituencies and readjust seat allocations.
- Chaired by a Supreme Court Judge (serving or retired).
- Includes the Chief Election Commissioner and State Election Commissioners as ex-officio members.
- Will involve 10 associate members (5 MPs and 5 MLAs) per state, though they will lack voting rights.
- Seat Rotation: Seats reserved for women will be allotted by rotation among different constituencies in a State or Union Territory.
- Judicial Immunity: Orders issued by the Delimitation Commission and published in the Gazette will have the force of law and cannot be challenged in any court.
Significance:
- By increasing seats to 850, the Bill ensures that the ratio between the population and the number of representatives is more accurately reflected, potentially improving grassroots governance.
- It removes the constitutional bottleneck that would have delayed women’s reservation until the 2030s, potentially transforming the political landscape in the very next general election.
- Redrawing constituencies based on current data addresses the demographic changes that have made the 1971-based seat allocation obsolete.