Union government proposes Constitution Amendment Bill to increase Lok Sabha strength to 850

The Union government has framed the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposing a significant expansion of the Lok Sabha’s strength from the current 550 members to a maximum of 850, comprising 815 members from States and 35 from Union Territories.

The Bill forms part of a broader legislative package that includes the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at resetting India’s electoral framework and enabling fresh delimitation based on updated population data.

All three bills have been circulated among Members of Parliament and is expected to be officially introduced in parliament on April 16.

The amendment proposes to substitute Article 81 to increase the ceiling on elected representatives in the House of the People. At present, the Constitution provides for not more than 530 members from States and 20 from Union Territories.

At present, the Constitution envisages that representation in the Lok Sabha should be linked to population, meaning States with larger populations should have more MPs.

However, this principle has not been fully implemented for decades due to a series of constitutional amendments.

The 42nd Amendment (1976) first froze the allocation of seats among States based on the 1971 Census to encourage population control. This freeze was later extended by the 84th Amendment (2001) until after the first census post-2026. The 87th Amendment (2003) allowed limited readjustment of constituency boundaries using 2001 Census data, but without altering the number of seats allocated to each State.

As a result:

• The number of Lok Sabha seats per State remained unchanged; and

• Only internal constituency boundaries were redrawn

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 now proposes to remove this freeze, allowing seats to be redistributed across States based on latest census data, and enabling a full delimitation exercise.

The most immediate change is the increase in Lok Sabha strength from 550 to 850. This expansion is intended to accommodate updated population of States and enable a fresh distribution of seats.

The Bill also changes how “population” is defined across multiple constitutional provisions, allowing parliament to decide which census figures should be used, instead of being tied to a fixed historical benchmark.

The Bill alters the framework for delimitation. Instead of requiring automatic readjustment after every census, it enables a system where parliament provides for delimitation through law, which will then be carried out by a Delimitation Commission.

The amendment links the exercise of delimitation to the implementation of one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, meaning such reservation will take effect only after constituencies are redrawn.

The Delimitation Bill, 2026 sets out how this exercise will be carried out. It provides for the constitution of a Delimitation Commission, chaired by a current or former Supreme Court judge, along with election officials.

The Commission will:

• Reallocate seats among States and Union Territories;

• Redraw constituency boundaries;

• Determine reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

Its exercise will be based on the latest published census figures, and its final orders will have the force of law and cannot be challenged in court.

The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 makes corresponding changes to laws governing Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir, aligning them with the revised constitutional scheme.

It provides that the strength and composition of Legislative Assemblies in these Union Territories will be determined through the delimitation process and harmonises provisions relating to population and reservation.

Taken together, the three Bills mark a fundamental shift in India’s representation framework. They expand the Lok Sabha, remove the decades-old population freeze, and enable a fresh allocation of seats based on current demographics of States, setting the stage for the first full-scale delimitation exercise in decades.

The proposed shift to population-based readjustment may have implications for the distribution of seats among States.

Southern States have generally recorded lower population growth due to successful family planning and awareness measures over the decades, while some northern States have seen relatively higher growth.

With the removal of the freeze and a move towards using the latest census data, the relative share of seats among States may change in line with current population patterns.