Centre moots inter-State redistribution of Lok Sabha seats based on 2011 Census, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Centre is proposing a Constitution Amendment Bill and a Delimitation Bill to redistribute Lok Sabha seats based on the 2011 Census.
• The stated aim is to expedite the implementation of 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
• The proposed changes could increase the share of Lok Sabha seats for the Hindi heartland States from 38.1% to 43.1%.
• Conversely, the share of southern States could decrease from 24.3% to 20.7%.
• The Bills propose increasing the size of the Lok Sabha to a maximum of 850 seats, with 815 for States and 35 for Union Territories.

Detailed Insights:

• The current distribution of Lok Sabha seats is based on the 1971 Census, with intra-state distribution based on the 2001 Census, as per Article 82 of the Constitution.
• The proposed amendment seeks to remove the provision that freezes seat allocation until the first census after 2026, potentially leading to an immediate redistribution.
• States like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Punjab had requested an extension of the freeze beyond 2026, which has been overlooked.
• Uttar Pradesh could gain 58 seats, while Kerala might gain only three, reflecting population shifts since the 1971 Census.
• The move is facing opposition, with concerns raised about federalism and lack of consultation with States.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation: The process of redrawing boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies to represent population changes.
• Census: A periodic count of a country's population, also gathering demographic, social, and economic data.
• Federalism: A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units (states).

Delimitation and Regional Shift