Understanding the delimitation exercise

  • February 7, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Understanding the delimitation exercise

Subject: Polity

Section: Elections

Context:

  • The impending delimitation exercise for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, based on the first Census after 2026, has sparked discussions and raised pertinent questions.

About Delimitation

  • Delimitation entails fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies, including the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), based on census data.
  • Article 82 (Lok Sabha) and Article 170 (State Legislative Assemblies) mandate readjustment of seats after each Census, performed by the Delimitation Commission.
  • Delimitation exercises were conducted post the 1951, 1961, and 1971 Censuses, highlighting its periodic nature.
Delimitation Commission

  • The Delimitation Commission is a high-powered committee entrusted with the task of drawing and redrawing boundaries of different constituencies for state assembly and Lok Sabha election.
  • It is appointed by the President and works in collaboration with the Election Commission.
  • The Commission consists of –
    • A retired or working Supreme Court Judge (chairperson)
    • Election Commissioner
    • Concerned State Election Commissionersor
  • Commission’s orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court.
  • The orders are laid before the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies concerned, but they cannot effect any modifications in the orders.

Need for Delimitation

  • Democracy and Representation: The essence of democracy mandates ‘one citizen-one vote-one value,’ necessitating periodic readjustment of seats to reflect population changes.
  • Freezing of Seats: Seats have been frozen since 1971 to encourage population control, with the freeze extended until 2026 through the 84th Amendment Act.

Challenges

  • Uneven Population Growth: Population disparities among states pose challenges, with some states experiencing rapid growth while others stagnate.
  • Options Discussed: Options include redistributing existing seats among states or increasing the total seats to reflect population changes.
  • Constituency Shrinkage: Electorates often lose their representation due to the merger of constituencies.
Polity Understanding the delimitation exercise