Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 4 times

Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026

Expanding Lok Sabha

The proposed Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 amends Article 81 of the Constitution, which governs the composition of the Lok Sabha. Currently Article 81 caps Lok Sabha membership at 550 (not more than 530 from states + not more than 20 from UTs). The proposed amendment raises this to 850 maximum (815 from states + 35 from UTs), enabling a comprehensive delimitation exercise using current population data.

Key details

Current Article 81 ceiling: 550 members (530 states + 20 UTs); in practice, 543 elected members
Proposed ceiling: 850 (815 states + 35 UTs) — an increase of 307 seats
Seat freeze history: 42nd Amendment (1976) froze allocation until 2001 census; 84th Amendment (2001) extended freeze to first census after 2026
The 131st Amendment Bill removes this freeze and enables fresh allocation based on latest census
Type of majority required: Special majority under Article 368 (two-thirds of members present and voting + majority of total membership of each House) — and ratification by at least half of state legislatures if federal structure is affected

In the news

● Tracked since April 14, 2026 · last seen April 30, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

30 Apr '26

Chhattisgarh assembly passes resolution seeking implementation of women’s quota in legislatures

Polity & Governance

17 Apr '26

Constitution Amendment Bill, part of delimitation package, defeated

Polity & Governance

16 Apr '26

Meghwal introduces 3 Bills to advance women’s quota to 2029, says states’ share in expanded Lok Sabha won’t change

Polity & Governance

14 Apr '26