Delimitation
Constitutional Basis and Process
Delimitation is the process of fixing the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies and redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies. It is constitutionally mandated by Article 82 (parliamentary seats) and Article 170 (state assembly seats), which require readjustment after every Census. A Delimitation Commission is constituted under the Delimitation Act for this purpose. The Commission is headed by a retired or sitting Supreme Court judge and includes the Chief Election Commissioner and the concerned State Election Commissioners as ex-officio members. Associate members (MPs and MLAs) may participate in an advisory capacity without voting rights. Critically, the orders of the Delimitation Commission are final and cannot be challenged in any court of law — they are published in the Gazette of India and are binding for the next elections.
- Constitutional basis: Articles 82 (Lok Sabha) and 170 (State Assemblies)
- Composition under the proposed 2026 Bill: chairperson (sitting or retired SC judge) + Chief Election Commissioner + State Election Commissioners; 10 associate members per state (5 MPs + 5 MLAs, advisory only)
- Orders of the Commission: final, have force of law, non-justiciable (Delimitation Act provisions)
- Previous Delimitation Commissions: 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002 (the last fully operational one)
- The 2002 Commission redrew constituency boundaries within states without altering inter-state seat allocation
● Tracked since March 03, 2026 · last seen August 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
Plus 20 earlier mentions since March 03, 2026.