Adopt ‘targeted’ delimitation for 170 Lok Sabha seats: Economic Advisory Council to PM Modi

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) released a study recommending a targeted delimitation model that would increase Lok Sabha consti...

What Happened

The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) released a study recommending a targeted delimitation model that would increase Lok Sabha constituencies from 543 to 824 by splitting 170 large existing constituencies.
The proposal involves 59 two-way splits and 111 three-way splits among the selected constituencies, without a population-based redistribution across state boundaries.
Southern states stand to gain significantly: Telangana (17→26), Andhra Pradesh (25→38), Karnataka (28→42), Tamil Nadu (39→59), and Kerala (20→30).
Among larger northern states, Uttar Pradesh accounts for the lion's share of three-way splits (17), followed by Maharashtra (12), Bihar (10), and West Bengal (10); Kerala and Tamil Nadu together account for 22 of the 59 two-way splits.
The EAC-PM recommended using a multi-factor methodology incorporating voter turnout, constituency size, SC/ST population share, linguistic diversity, and social polarisation index — rather than raw population alone.
The study also recommends anchoring any future delimitation exercise to the 2027 Census rather than the 2011 Census, and pairing it with women-specific electoral measures such as women-only polling booths and evening polling hours.

Static Topic Bridges

Delimitation: Constitutional Framework

Delimitation is the process of fixing the number and boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies. Articles 82 and 170 of the Constitution mandate readjustment of Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly seats after every census. The exercise is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission constituted under the Delimitation Commission Act, 2002. The Commission's orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court.

Article 82: Readjustment of allocation of seats in Lok Sabha after each census.
Article 170: Readjustment of seats in State Legislative Assemblies after each census.
Article 81: Lays down the principle that constituencies shall be based on population; each state's seat share is roughly proportional to its population.
The Delimitation Commission is typically chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge; the Chief Election Commissioner and State Election Commissioners serve as ex-officio members.
Past Delimitation Commissions: 1952, 1963, 1973, and 2002 (operative from 2008).

Connection to this news: The EAC-PM proposal is an advisory input into a delimitation debate re-opened after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which would have raised the maximum Lok Sabha strength from 550 to 850 — failed in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, securing only 298 votes against the two-thirds majority required under Article 368.

The Delimitation Freeze and its Political Implications

The 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) froze the number of Lok Sabha seats allocated to each state on the basis of the 1971 Census. The 84th Constitutional Amendment (2001) extended this freeze until the first census published after 2026. The freeze was introduced to prevent states that had achieved lower population growth (principally southern states) from being penalised in parliamentary representation.

42nd Amendment, 1976: Froze total Lok Sabha seats at 543; also froze state-wise seat allocation to 1971 Census figures.
84th Amendment, 2001: Extended the freeze to the first census after 2026, i.e., the 2027 Census.
Core federal tension: Population growth rates have diverged sharply between northern and southern states since 1971. Population-proportional delimitation would shift seats from the south and northeast toward UP, Bihar, MP, and Rajasthan.
The EAC-PM model explicitly attempts to address this by using a multi-factor approach — not purely population — to determine which constituencies are split.

Connection to this news: The targeted model is a political compromise solution: it increases representation in high-population northern constituencies while also adding seats in southern states, avoiding a zero-sum transfer of seats between regions.

Delimitation Commission: Composition and Independence

The Delimitation Commission Act, 2002 governs the current framework. The Commission's orders are final: they are published in the Gazette and cannot be challenged in court (Article 329 bars courts from questioning delimitation orders on the ground of impropriety). Members include a retired Supreme Court judge as chairperson, the Chief Election Commissioner, and State Election Commissioners of the relevant states.

Delimitation is distinct from election scheduling, which is the Election Commission of India's function under Article 324.
The 2002 Delimitation Commission, chaired by Justice Kuldip Singh, produced the current constituency map operative from the 2008 elections.
The Commission operates independently of Parliament; its orders have legal force equivalent to legislation.

Connection to this news: The EAC-PM's proposal is a policy recommendation, not a binding exercise. Any actual delimitation requires the Delimitation Commission Act and, if seats are to be increased, a constitutional amendment under Article 368.

Article 368: Procedure for Constitutional Amendments

Article 368 governs the procedure for amending the Constitution. A bill to amend the Constitution must be passed by each House of Parliament by a special majority: (a) a majority of the total membership of that House, and (b) a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting. Certain provisions additionally require ratification by not less than one-half of the state legislatures.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which sought to raise Lok Sabha strength to 850 — obtained 298 votes in favour against 230 against in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, falling short of the two-thirds threshold.
Increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats requires a constitutional amendment; mere constituency reorganisation within existing state totals requires only a Delimitation Commission exercise.
The EAC-PM "targeted" model avoids the need for a constitutional amendment to the maximum seat ceiling if it works within the existing 543 total (it does not — 543 to 824 still requires an amendment), making the bill's defeat contextually significant.

Connection to this news: The EAC-PM model emerged in the immediate aftermath of the failed 131st Amendment Bill, providing an alternative approach that attempts to address southern states' concerns through the multi-factor methodology.

Key Facts & Data

Current Lok Sabha strength: 543 elected seats (+ 2 nominated Anglo-Indian seats, now abolished by 104th Amendment, 2020).
EAC-PM proposed total: 824 seats (170 constituencies split; remaining 373 unchanged).
Split breakdown: 59 two-way splits, 111 three-way splits.
Expected turnout uplift from the model: 0.3 to 2.3 percentage points in the subsequent general election.
Seat gains for southern states: Kerala 20→30, TN 39→59, Karnataka 28→42, Andhra 25→38, Telangana 17→26.
Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 vote: 298 for, 230 against — failed to reach the two-thirds special majority required under Article 368.
The freeze on seat allocation was last set by the 84th Constitutional Amendment, 2001, operative until the first census after 2026.
Delimitation Commission Act: 2002; current map operative since 2008 general elections.
Article 329: Bars courts from questioning any law relating to delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats to such constituencies.