The Constitution of India envisages that States should be represented in the Lok Sabha broadly in proportion to their respective populations and provides for the periodic readjustment of such representation following a Census. It also requires, as far as practicable, that parliamentary constituencies within a State have an equal population. A similar process of delimitation is undertaken for constituencies of State Legislative Assemblies.

This process sits at the intersection of political representation, electoral equality, federalism and the principle of “one person, one vote”, as changes to the distribution of seats among States, as well as the boundaries of parliamentary and assembly constituencies, can have significant implications for political representation across India.

Our work on delimitation in India

In furtherance of its commitment to engaging with important contemporary constitutional questions, Charkha, the Centre for Constitutional Law at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, has undertaken sustained research on the relatively understudied subject of delimitation in India.

Our research examines the constitutional framework governing delimitation, including the allocation of seats to States, the drawing of parliamentary and assembly constituencies, the role of population and Census data, and the implications of delimitation for Indian federalism and democratic representation. We seek to make this complex constitutional process more accessible to policymakers, researchers, journalists and the wider public.

During the parliamentary debates surrounding the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the accompanying legislative proposals, Charkha emerged as the leading voice on the subject and contributed scholarly research and analysis on the constitutional implications of the proposed reforms, the need for greater transparency in the delimitation process, and the institutional and federal trade-offs involved in the process