Articles 82 and 170
Constitutional Basis of Delimitation
Article 82 of the Constitution mandates that the allocation of seats in the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and the division of each state into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted after each census by Parliament, through law. Article 170 makes the same provision for Legislative Assemblies of states. The Delimitation Act, 2002 is the current statutory framework for conducting delimitation.
- Article 82: Readjustment of seats in Lok Sabha after each census — mandatory by constitutional text
- Article 81: Total seats in Lok Sabha not to exceed 550 (530 for states + 20 for Union Territories); SC/ST seats reserved
- Article 170: State Legislative Assembly seats readjusted after each census (60–500 seats per state)
- Article 330: Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Lok Sabha
- The freeze on delimitation: the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) froze the number of Lok Sabha seats at 543 until the first census after 2000; the 84th Constitutional Amendment (2001) extended this freeze to 2026
- Current freeze: expires in 2026 — making this the year when delimitation becomes constitutionally due
- Delimitation Act, 2002: constitutes the Delimitation Commission and specifies procedure
● Tracked since April 19, 2026 · last seen July 18, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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