Delimitation involves the reorganization of India’s political map to facilitate the efficient conduct of elections. Presidential assent is required for this process, as stipulated by the Election Commission. Article 82 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to enact a Delimitation Act following each census.
Upon the Act’s enforcement, the Central government establishes a Delimitation Commission responsible for delineating state boundaries. The current delimitation, based on the 2001 census, operates under the Provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002. The demarcation is population-centric, aiming for equal populations in each assembly and parliamentary constituency within a state. Ideally, constituencies should be geographically compact, with convenient administrative units, communication facilities, and public amenities. Representation in the Lok Sabha is allocated to states proportionate to their population according to census figures, with no assembly constituency extending beyond one parliamentary constituency.
Constituency delimitation within a district follows a systematic pattern from North to North-West, proceeding in a zig-zag manner until reaching the Southern side. Reserved seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are determined based on their census population. The 84th Constitution Amendment Act, 2001, and the 87th Constitution Amendment Act have amended Articles 81, 82, 170, 330, and 332 of the Constitution of India, collectively impacting the delimitation of constituencies.
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