Article 82 and the Delimitation Freeze
Article 82 of the Constitution mandates that after every census, Parliament must by law provide for the readjustment of the allocation of seats in the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and for the division of each state into territorial constituencies. This is carried out by a statutory Delimitation Commission.
The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act (1976) froze the total number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to each state based on the 1971 Census, to prevent states that had not controlled population growth from gaining disproportionate representation. The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act (2001) extended this freeze until the first census after 2026. The present 543-seat Lok Sabha is still constituted on the basis of the 1971 Census population figures.
- Article 82: Readjustment of Lok Sabha seats after each census
- 42nd Amendment (1976): Froze state-wise seat allocation at 1971 census levels
- 84th Amendment (2001): Extended freeze until first census after 2026
- Internal constituency boundary adjustments were permitted under the 84th Amendment (using 2001 Census data)
- Delimitation Commission Act, 2002: Governs the structure and powers of the Delimitation Commission
● Tracked since March 24, 2026 · last seen August 28, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes