With the General Elections 2024 now long over, India should ideally be embarking on two critical tasks – first, the population census, and second, delimitation of India’s electoral constituencies. Delimitation and subsequent reapportionment of seats in Parliament is expected to follow every decennial census to account for population changes. However, since the 1970s, there has been a constitutionally-imposed freeze on the reapportionment of seats in the Lok Sabha. This means that the current allocation of seats to states in the Lok Sabha is based on population figures from more than four decades ago.

The freeze is expected to be lifted in 2026, which means that the time to ask critical questions about delimitation and apportionment of seats is now! Vidhi’s new research report decodes the principle of political equality, explores the contours of Indian federalism, and proposes reform alternatives and approaches for the upcoming apportionment of seats in Parliament.