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
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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.