Article 81
Composition of the House of the People
Article 81 of the Constitution defines the composition of the Lok Sabha. It specifies that the House shall consist of not more than 530 members representing states and not more than 20 members representing Union Territories — a total ceiling of 550 plus the Speaker and a nominated Anglo-Indian member. The 84th Constitutional Amendment (2002) set the seat allocation based on the 1971 Census, frozen until the first census after 2026.
- Article 81(1)(a): Not more than 530 seats for states.
- Article 81(1)(b): Not more than 20 seats for Union Territories.
- Article 81(2): Seats allocated to states based on population, with each state's seats proportional to its population (with a cap for smaller states).
- Current Lok Sabha: 543 seats (including UTs); Speaker + 2 nominated members bring total to 546.
- To expand to 816 seats: Article 81 must be amended — a constitutional amendment under Article 368 (special majority).
- The 42nd Amendment (1976) and 84th Amendment (2002) both adjusted the seat freeze to manage demographic pressures.
● Tracked since March 24, 2026 · last seen June 09, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
See it in today’s brief.
Daily current affairs with every static concept explained in place.
Read the daily brief