What Happened
- The 2026 legislative package — consisting of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill — proposes amendments to a specific set of constitutional articles.
- The 131st Amendment Bill directly amends Articles 81, 82, 330, 332, and 334A of the Constitution.
- Each article addresses a distinct aspect: the size of the Lok Sabha, the mechanism for seat readjustment, reservations for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and the operationalisation of women's reservation.
- Understanding which articles are being amended — and how — is essential for analysing the constitutional implications of the entire package.
Static Topic Bridges
Article 81 — Composition of the House of the People
Article 81 defines the constitution of the Lok Sabha. It specifies that the House shall consist of not more than 552 members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the states, and not more than 20 members representing Union Territories. It also mandates that the ratio of constituency population to number of seats be as equal as practicable across all states, with an exception for very small states (population not exceeding 6 million).
- Original article establishes cap of 552 (530 from states + 20 from UTs + 2 Anglo-Indian nominees — the nomination provision was removed by the 104th Amendment, 2020)
- The 131st Amendment Bill proposes to raise the cap to 850: 815 from states + 35 from UTs
- Also amends the definition of "population" in the article — replacing reference to the last preceding Census with "population as ascertained at such census as Parliament may by law determine," giving Parliament flexibility to choose the reference Census
- This definitional change is critical: it allows delimitation to use a pre-2026-Census data set
Connection to this news: The amendment to Article 81 is the foundational change — without expanding the constitutional cap, the Lok Sabha cannot physically have more than 552 seats regardless of any other law.
Article 82 — Readjustment After Each Census
Article 82 currently mandates that upon the completion of each census, Parliament shall by law provide for readjustment of the allocation of seats to each state in the House of the People and the division of each state into territorial constituencies. This creates a near-automatic obligation to conduct delimitation after every decennial census.
- Article 82 currently reads: "Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine"
- The 131st Amendment weakens this by replacing "upon the completion of each census" with a more permissive formulation, effectively removing the mandatory census-trigger
- The 84th Amendment Act, 2001 had already created an exception to Article 82 — freezing inter-state seat allocation (not internal boundary adjustments) until after the first Census following 2026
- The 2026 bill removes even this frozen constraint, allowing immediate delimitation
Connection to this news: The amendment to Article 82 is the most consequential structural change — it ends the constitutional obligation to wait for a Census before conducting delimitation, allowing the government to proceed on the basis of available data.
Articles 330 and 332 — SC/ST Reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies
Article 330 reserves seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People in proportion to their population in each state. Article 332 makes parallel provision for state legislative assemblies. Both articles have historically used census population data to calculate how many seats must be reserved.
- Article 330: SC/ST reservation in Lok Sabha; proportionate to SC/ST population in each state
- Article 332: SC/ST reservation in state legislative assemblies; same proportionality formula
- The 131st Amendment updates the "population" definition in both articles — aligning them with the new census-flexibility introduced in Article 81
- Also updates provisions related to Scheduled Tribe reservation in certain north-eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura) where tribal populations are large
Connection to this news: Amending Articles 330 and 332 ensures the SC/ST reservation geometry is recalculated consistently with the new census reference — essential for redrawing reserved constituencies in the new 850-seat Lok Sabha.
Article 334A — Women's Reservation Operationalisation
Inserted by the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023, Article 334A mandates that not less than one-third of the total seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies be reserved for women, including one-third of SC/ST reserved seats. The 2023 version of the article tied this to Census completion and subsequent delimitation.
- Inserted by 106th Amendment, September 2023
- The 131st Amendment removes the Census precondition — reservation takes effect immediately after the delimitation under the new Delimitation Bill 2026 is completed
- Duration remains 15 years from commencement, extendable by Parliament
- Sub-reservation for SC/ST women is computed within existing SC/ST quotas, not as an additional category
Connection to this news: This amendment to Article 334A is the trigger that converts the 2023 women's reservation law from a dormant constitutional promise into an operational mandate — assuming delimitation under the new bill proceeds.
Key Facts & Data
- Articles amended by 131st Amendment: 81, 82, 330, 332, 334A
- Article 239AA also amended (via UT Laws Amendment Bill) for Delhi Legislative Assembly
- Special majority required to pass constitutional amendments: Article 368 — two-thirds of members present and voting + majority of total House membership
- Current Lok Sabha strength: 543 (frozen at 1971 Census basis since the 42nd Amendment, 1976)
- SC reservation in Lok Sabha (current): 84 seats; ST reservation: 47 seats (based on 2001 Census per 84th Amendment)
- The 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2020 abolished the provision for Anglo-Indian nomination (Articles 331 and 333)
- The Delimitation Bill 2026 (ordinary legislation) establishes the new Delimitation Commission — comprising a sitting or former Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner, and State Election Commissioners