Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty?First Amendment) Bill, 2026

Why in News?

The Constitution (131^st Amendment) Bill, 2026 introduced in the Special Session of Parliament.

• Aim – To update the size and composition of State Assemblies based on population changes.
• Provisions – Increase in Lok Sabha Strength - The number of Lok Sabha members will be increased from the existing 543 to 850, based on population growth since the 1971 Census.
• Amend Article 82 - The Bill proposes to amend Article 82 of the Constitution, which presently governs the process of readjustment of parliamentary constituencies following each Census.
• Amend Article 334A - Allow implementation of one-third women's reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies immediately after delimitation. 
• Freeze Article 170 - The Bill amends Article 170 to allow fresh delimitation of State Assembly seats and constituencies based on a future Census specified by Parliament.
• It removes the freeze imposed since 1976 by deleting the 3^rd provision, which had postponed the exercise until after the 2026 Census.
• Safeguards Tribal Representation - The Bill provides for safeguards to ensure that the delimitation exercise does not dilute tribal representation in certain Northeastern States.
• Amendments to Article 332, which deals with the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in State Assemblies, provide special protection for tribal representation in
  • Arunachal Pradesh,
  • Meghalaya,
  • Mizoram,
  • Tripura and
  • Nagaland.
• The Bill also ensures that the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes will not fall below the proportion of representation they currently hold.
• Delimitation authority - The amendment also replaces the earlier formulation that allowed Parliament to determine the authority for delimitation with a provision explicitly assigning the task to a Delimitation Commission.
• It further revises the explanation to Article 170(2) so that “population” for the purpose of seat allocation will mean the population ascertained in the Census that Parliament decides to adopt.

Delimitation Bill, 2026

• Delimitation Commission –The Bill provides for the constitution of a Delimitation Commission by the Centre
• Chaired by - A Supreme Court judge (sitting or retired), with the Chief Election Commissioner (or nominee) and the State Election Commissioner.
• Associate Members – 10 per State (5 Lok Sabha MPs + 5 State legislators) without voting rights.
• Functions
  • Decide Lok Sabha seat allocation per State/UT.
  • Fix total strength of State Assemblies.
  • Redraw parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.
  • Identify SC, ST, and women‑reserved seats.
• Process – Draft proposals published for public consultation; final orders published in Gazette of India with force of law, not challengeable in court.
• Effect – The new constituency boundaries and seat allocations will not affect ongoing assemblies or elections already notified, they will apply prospectively

Reference

The Hindu | Delimitation Bill