At heart of row, value of a vote, fiscal imbalance, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• Delimitation involves fixing the total Lok Sabha seats, calculating state-wise allocation, and drawing constituency boundaries based on census data.
• The 42nd Amendment in 1976 froze seat allocation based on the 1971 census, ostensibly for demographic fairness, but also due to fiscal considerations.
• The 84th Amendment further extended this freeze until the first census after 2026, leading to under-representation and malapportionment.
• If Lok Sabha seats are reallocated based on the 2026 census, southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala are projected to lose seats, while northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will gain.

Detailed Insights:

• The core principle of "one person, one vote" is undermined by constituencies of unequal size, as the weight of a vote varies significantly across states.
• The 1971 census freeze was influenced by the central planning era, where the Union government controlled state finances, impacting the relative political power of states.
• Economic liberalization in 1991 exacerbated the divergence in economic and population growth between states, further complicating seat allocation.
• Under-representation means every Indian constituency has grown far beyond the intended size, while malapportionment creates an asymmetry between a state’s population share and its Lok Sabha seats.
• The current financial devolution formula, where the Union devolves only 41% of tax revenue to states, exacerbates the issue, as wealthier states have limited control over their finances.
• Reimagining India's fiscal federalism and redesigning the Rajya Sabha to give states independent power is essential to fulfilling the constitutional promise of equal vote weight.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Delimitation: The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries to ensure equal representation based on population.
• Fiscal Federalism: The financial relationship between the central and state governments, including revenue sharing and expenditure responsibilities.
• Malapportionment: Unequal representation in legislative bodies, where the number of constituents per representative varies significantly.