The Centre is planning a major change to India’s election system by expanding the Lok Sabha and redrawing seat boundaries.
Under a proposed constitutional amendment, the government may increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to around 800–850. The aim is to give better representation as India’s population has grown over the years.
The plan also includes a fresh delimitation exercise. Delimitation means changing the boundaries of constituencies based on population. This process has been paused for many years and is expected to restart after the next Census.
The changes may not be limited to Parliament. State assemblies could also see an increase in seats. This would mean more MLAs in different states, depending on population data.
One key reason for increasing seats is to support policies like women’s reservation. By adding more seats, the government can reserve some for women without reducing existing seats.
However, the proposal has raised concerns. Some southern states worry they could lose influence if seats are divided mainly based on population. These states have controlled population growth better than others. In contrast, more populous states could gain more seats, which may shift political power.
Experts say delimitation is a major step that can change how power is shared in the country. It decides how many representatives each state sends to Parliament and can affect elections for years.
The proposal will need strong support to pass. A constitutional amendment requires approval by a two-thirds majority in Parliament and support from states as well.
