Addressing the Challenges of Delimitation and Political Representation for India's Southern States
The upcoming delimitation exercise, expected after the 2028 Census, poses a significant challenge to India's federal balance. Southern states, which successfully implemented population control and health reforms, fear a reduction in their Lok Sabha seat share compared to northern states with higher population growth. The 84th Constitutional Amendment (2001) froze seat numbers until 2026. Proposed solutions include increasing the total number of Lok Sabha seats to approximately 866 or adopting a 'Digressive Proportionality' principle, similar to the European Parliament, to ensure fair representation without penalizing states for demographic progress.
Key Points
- Delimitation based strictly on population could reduce the relative political and fiscal power of southern states.
- The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act (2001) extended the freeze on Lok Sabha seats until the first census after 2026.
- The Finance Commission currently uses population size as a 15% weight for tax revenue redistribution.
- 'Digressive Proportionality' is suggested as a compromise to balance population proportionality with state equality.
Exam Facts
- The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act (2001) froze the number of seats in Lok Sabha until 2026.
- The next Census results are expected by October 2028.
- A redistribution based on the 2011 Census without losing existing seats would result in a Lok Sabha of about 866 members.
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