India's Delimitation Dilemma: Balancing Population Growth and Regional Representation After 2026


Delimitation means redrawing the boundaries of Parliamentary seats based on population. The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution (1976) froze Lok Sabha seat allocation for 25 years based on the 1971 census. The 84th Amendment (2001) extended this arrangement for another 25 years. When this freeze lapses in 2026, parliamentary boundaries may be redrawn based on population
Southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu) have seen population growth of less than 15 percent. Kerala has the lowest growth rate (4.9 percent over 2001-11). Northern states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh) had population growth over 20 percent between 2001-2011. 

The Dilemma

Democratic principle values all citizens equally- "one citizen, one vote, one value".
Southern states fear being overwhelmed by northern states' parliamentary majority. Redrawing boundaries could give Hindi-speaking states an overwhelming clout in national politics - possibly even a two-thirds majority, sufficient to amend the Constitution at will. 

Proposed Solutions

  1. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin has suggested amending the Constitution to extend the feeze on delimitiation based on the 1971 census for another 30 years.
  2. Proportional representation allocating seats based on percentage of votes received by each party
  3. Weighted voting system where MPs from less populous states have more voting weight
  4. "Upper House" model like the US Senate (equal representation for all states regardless of population)
  5. Stronger Rajya Sabha and more decentralization
  6. Greater autonomy for states to control their own affairs and resources