Delimitation, Lok Sabha Expansion and the Election Commission Row: What Stands in the Way
Demands from several Opposition and regional parties for the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, have made the Centre's plan for delimitation (redrawing Lok Sabha seats) more difficult.
The demands follow allegations about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls (a fresh, door-to-door check of voter lists). Some parties have also asked the Centre to review the 2023 law on how the CEC and Election Commissioners are appointed and how long they serve.
Expanding the Lok Sabha needs a constitutional amendment passed by a special majority in each House. In April 2026, the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which linked a bigger House to delimitation and women's reservation, failed in the Lok Sabha: it got 298 votes for and 230 against, short of the 352 (two-thirds of 528 present and voting) it needed.
After that defeat, the linked Delimitation Bill, 2026 was not taken forward. It had proposed a commission headed by a Supreme Court judge, with the CEC (or an Election Commissioner nominated by the CEC) and the state's Chief Electoral Officer as members.
One option now being discussed is to redraw constituencies within the existing 543 seats once the post-2026 Census figures are published. This would avoid the special-majority hurdle of enlarging the House, but would still need the Census data and the proper constitutional and legal steps.
Because the Election Commission would sit on any Delimitation Commission, questions about the Commission's standing could also affect the delimitation exercise.
Delimitation in India (Articles 82 and 170)
Delimitation means fixing how many Lok Sabha and Assembly seats each state gets, and drawing the boundary of each constituency, so that each elected member represents roughly the same number of people. It is done by an independent body called the Delimitation Commission, set up under a law made by Parliament.
The Centre's options are two: enlarge the House (which needs a constitutional amendment and a special majority, which failed in April 2026), or redraw seats within the present 543 using post-2026 Census data. Either way, a Delimitation Commission that includes the Election Commission would do the work.
Appointment and Removal of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners
The Election Commission of India is led by a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and, at present, two Election Commissioners (ECs). Article 324 of the Constitution says the President appoints them, subject to any law Parliament makes. The rules on who chooses them and how they can be removed decide how independent the Commission really is.
Demands for the CEC to step down, and calls to review the 2023 appointment law, show how the method of choosing and removing election officers is tied to public trust in the Commission. Since the CEC (or a nominated EC) would sit on any Delimitation Commission, this debate now spills into the delimitation plan.
Constitutional Amendment Procedure: Article 368
The Constitution of India can be changed, but not as easily as an ordinary law. Article 368, in Part XX of the Constitution, gives Parliament the power to amend the Constitution and lays down the procedure. Some changes need only a simple majority, many need a "special majority" in both Houses, and some also need the approval of at least half of the states. This mix makes the Indian Constitution partly rigid and partly flexible.
Expanding the Lok Sabha beyond the Article 81 limit needs an amendment under Article 368, and because it changes the "representation of states in Parliament", it would also need ratification by half the states. The April 2026 failure to reach the two-thirds mark is why the government is now looking at the alternative of redrawing seats within the existing 543.
- Present Lok Sabha strength: 543; Article 81 ceiling: 550 elected members (530 states, 20 UTs)
- Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026: defeated in the Lok Sabha in April 2026; 298 for, 230 against; 352 needed (two-thirds of 528)
- Proposed Delimitation Bill, 2026: Commission of a Supreme Court judge (chair), the CEC or an EC nominated by the CEC, and the state's Chief Electoral Officer; withdrawn after the amendment failed
- Seat freeze: 42nd Amendment (1976) on 1971 Census; extended by 84th Amendment (2001) to the first Census after 2026
- Past Delimitation Commissions: 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002
- CEC removal: like a Supreme Court judge (Article 324(5)); notice needs 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members' signatures
- CEC and ECs appointment law: the 2023 Act (selection committee: PM, a Union Minister, Leader of Opposition)