Delimitation

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has recently called for an all-party meeting on March 5 to discuss the delimitation exercise, sparking a national debate.

• About Delimitation: The process of fixing the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies in each State for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies.

o It includes determining seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

o Constitutional Provisions: Articles 82 and 170 provide for readjustment of seats after each Census.

o Delimitation is conducted by the Delimitation Commission, set up under an Act of Parliament.

o Previous Exercises: Conducted after the 1951, 1961, 1971 and 2002 Census.

• Concern:

o The 42nd Amendment Act (1976) froze the number of seats to encourage population control, extended by the 84th Amendment (2001) till 2026. After 2026, seats will be re-adjusted based on the first Census after 2026.

o Territorial constituencies were redrawn based on the 2001 Census, with another revision due after 2026.