New Delhi:
The delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats is likely to start next year. It is expected that this may change the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and other states of South India. In view of this possible loss, the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has started protesting. However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured the states of South India that the seats of any state of South India will not be reduced in delimitation on the basis of census after 2026. He made it clear that even after a low population, Lok Sabha seats in the states of South India will also be increased in proportion to the states of North India. Despite Shah’s assurance, the fear of South India has not diminished. Let us know what is delimitation, when it is done, what changes from it and how legitimate the fear of the states of South India is.
Chief Minister MK Stalin has called an all -party meeting on Tuesday next week after the possibility of the seats of Tamil Nadu decreased on delimitation. Stalin’s party DMK feels that due to its success on population control, the seats of Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha will be reduced. He feels that where North India has increased rapidly, there will be a huge increase in Lok Sabha seats. This will weaken the voice of South India including Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha. DMK says that this matter is related to the entire Tamil Nadu, so political parties should come forward and put their point on this matter.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Targets Tamil Nadu Government Over DELIMITATION
NDTV’s @jsamdaniel reports pic.twitter.com/4ahi5mhxjf
– NDTV (@NDTV) February 26, 2025
What is the delimitation commission?
Delimitation The meaning of determining the boundary of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies is from the process of determining the seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly. A commission is formed for delimitation. This commission is known as the delimitation commission. The delimitation commission has been formed in India four times so far. Under the delimitation Commission Act, 1952 in the year 1952, 1963 in 1963 under the delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under the delimitation Act, 1972 and delimitation Act, 2002. The orders of the delimitation commission have been issued under the law. They cannot be challenged in any court. These orders are applied by the President from a fixed date. Copies of its orders are placed on the table of Lok Sabha and State Assembly, but no amendment can be made in them.
Under Articles 82 and 170 of the Constitution, the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats and their limits is determined after every census. This work is done on the basis of census data. At this time the number of seats in Parliament and Legislative Assembly is based on the 1971 census. Therefore, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is 543 and the number of seats in Rajya Sabha is 250.
Delimitation and SC-ST reservation
The number of seats reserved for Lok Sabha SC-ST changed after the completion of 2007 on the basis of 2001 census. This time Lok Sabha 84 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 47 seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST). Earlier, 71 seats were reserved for SC in Lok Sabha and 41 seats for ST.
The Lok Sabha and Assembly seats are to be delimited after the next census. This will also change the number of seats of Rajya Sabha. The final census in India was done in 2011. The next census was proposed in 2021. But it could not happen due to the Korona epidemic. However, the government has not yet told when the next census will take place. In October last year, the government extended the central deputation of Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan till August 2026. After this, there were speculations that the government could start census work in 2025. It was estimated to run by 2026. Political analysts hope that the delimitation work may begin in 2028. After this delimitation, reservation is also to be given to women in Parliament and Legislative Assembly. Therefore, reservation of women seats will also be decided in this delimitation.
History of delimitation in India
The delimitation of delimitation in India till 1976 was after every census. There was a change in the number of seats in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. This happened until the census of 1951, 9161 and 1971. But after the 42nd Constitution amendment during the Emergency in the country, the seats in Parliament and Legislative Assembly were stabilized till 2001. The aim of this was that the state -born states could implement family planning plans without losing their seats in Parliament and Assembly. The limit of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats in delimitation after the 2001 census has not changed but their number did not change. This was due to opposition from the states of the south. At the same time, after the 84th Constitutional Amendment in 2001, the delimitation was stopped for the first census to be held after 2026.
After delimitation on the basis of the 1951 census, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha increased to 494. In this, the ratio of population per seat was kept at 7.3 lakh per seat. At the same time, the number of seats in delimitation on the basis of the 1961 census increased to 522. In this, the ratio of population per seat was kept at 8.4 lakh per seat. At the same time, after delimitation after the 1971 census, the number of seats in the Lok Sabha increased to 543. In this, the ratio of population per seat was 10.1 lakh per seat. After this, there was a change in the limits of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats and reservation for SC-ST in delimitation based on the 2001 census, but there was no change in the number of seats.
How justified the concern of South India
The states of South India, including Tamil Nadu, are worried due to their low population rate. They are afraid that if the government delimited on the basis of population, then they may have to lose seats compared to the states of North India. Actually, the growth of census in South India is less than in North India. Keeping this in mind, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin tweeted a tweet on 25 February. In this, he wrote that delimitation will not only harm Tamil Nadu, but it will affect the whole of South India. He has said that a democratic process should not harass those states who have controlled population growth, developed and contributed to the development of the nation. We need a fair, transparent and equitable perspective that maintains federalism in the true sense.
Delimitation isn’t just about tamil nadu –t affects all of south India. A democratic process should not penalise states that have successfully managed Population Growth, LED in Development, and Made Significant Contributes to National Progress. We need a fair, transparent, and… pic.twitter.com/h1QW6LQK0B
– mkstalin (@mkstalin) February 25, 2025
After delimitation, Tamil Nadu has been expressing the possibility of low number of seats in Lokbha. In September 2023, there was a debate on women’s reservation in Parliament, in which Kanimozhi of DMK quoted MK Stalin as saying that if the delimitation took place on the basis of population, it would reduce the representation of the states of South India. He had said that the people of Tamilanadu have the fear that their voice will weaken.
What is the reason for South India concern
The government has not taken any step towards delimitation. Even after this, the states of South India are fearing that seats will be reduced from now on. However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has tried to assure him by saying that delimitation will not reduce any state seats. He has said that even after a low population, the Lok Sabha seats in the states of South India in the delimitation will also be increased in proportion to the states of North India. Shah is assuring the states of South India. But PM Narendra Modi has expressed a different concern. PM Modi said at a rally held in Telangana on October 3, 2023, that the states of South India could lose 100 Lok Sabha seats. He said this while attacking the slogan of the ‘population of the Congress’. The Congress is saying this in support of caste census. PM Modi described the Congress as a minority and opposed to the states of South India.
I will keep working for the welfare of the poor. pic.twitter.com/ijxro4ybwl
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 3, 2023
The new building of Parliament was dedicated to the nation in May 2023. There is a seating arrangement of 888 members in the Lok Sabha in the new building of Parliament and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha. Therefore, the number of members of the Lok Sabha in delimitation is not expected to exceed 888.
How much can change in Lok Sabha seats
India of India till 2026 population One billion is estimated to be 41 crores. In such a situation, if the government adopts the formula for population per seat and increases the population ratio from 10.1 lakh to 20 lakhs, then more than 750 seats will be in the Lok Sabha. Tamil Nadu can benefit from two seats on this formula. But this formula may cause a seat loss to Kerala in South India. There are currently 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, which can be reduced to 19 after delimitation. At the same time, Karnataka can get the most benefit of this in South India. Karnataka currently has 28 Lok Sabha seats. After delimitation, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka can be 36.
At present, the Lok Sabha has a total of 129 seats in the state of South India, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, South India has a representation of about 24 per cent. On the other hand, if the formula of 20 lakh population per seat is adopted, then in the Lok Sabha of 750 members, the states of South India will have 144 seats. This will be around 19 percent. Whereas in the present Lok Sabha, South India is representing about 24 percent. In this way, the representation of South India will fall by five percent. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh can see the most increase in Uttar Pradesh. The number of Lok Sabha seats there can increase from 80 to 128. Uttar Pradesh still has the highest number of 80 seats in Lok Sabha. At the same time, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Bihar will increase from 40 to 70. Similarly, the number of seats in Madhya Pradesh will increase from 29 to 47. The number of Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra can increase from 25 to 44.
The decreased representation of South India in the Lok Sabha is the main reason for concern for Tamil Nadu and other states of South India. This is the reason that Stalin’s talk has been supported by leaders of states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. But their apprehension proves to be correct or wrong for this we will have to wait till the government forms the delimitation commission and its report comes.
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(tagstotranslate) delimitation
