Delimitation and Its Constitutional Basis
Delimitation is the process of redrawing boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies, carried out by the Delimitation Commission constituted under the Delimitation Act. Article 82 mandates readjustment of Lok Sabha seats after each Census; Article 170 does the same for state assemblies. The last delimitation was completed in 2008, based on the 2001 Census. The freeze on seat numbers under the 84th Amendment (2002) extended the existing constituency map until 2026.
- The Delimitation Commission is constituted by the President and its orders have the force of law; they cannot be called in question before any court (Article 329).
- Census 2021 was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Census 2027 is now the scheduled exercise.
- Delimitation directly affects women's reservation because seats are reserved on a rotational basis — without fixed constituency boundaries, a rotation mechanism cannot be operationalised.
- Decoupling reservation from delimitation would mean women's seats are reserved within existing (2008-delimited) constituencies, raising concerns about fairness and equal representation.
● Tracked since March 17, 2026 · last seen April 16, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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