Important for all Competitive Exams

2. • Delimitation literally means the act or process of fixing limits
or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a
province having a legislative body.
• The job of delimitation is assigned to a high power body. Such
a body is known as Delimitation Commission or a Boundary
Commission.
• It have the force of law and cannot be called in question
before any court.
• The copies of its orders are laid before the House of the
People (Lok Sabha) and the State Legislative Assembly
concerned, but no modifications are permissible therein by
them.

3. In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted
4 times –
• 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952
• 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962
• 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972
• 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002.
These orders come into force on a date to be specified by the
President of India in this behalf.

4. • Under Article 82, the Parliament enacts a Delimitation Act
after every Census.
• Under Article 170, States also get divided into territorial
constituencies as per Delimitation Act after every Census.
• Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up a
Delimitation Commission.
• The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the
President of India and works in collaboration with
the Election Commission of India.

5. Composition:
• Retired Supreme Court judge
• Chief Election Commissioner
• Respective State Election Commissioners
Functions:
• To determine the number and boundaries of constituencies
to make population of all constituencies nearly equal.
• To identify seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes, wherever their population is relatively
large.
In case of difference of opinion among members of the
Commission, the opinion of the majority prevails.

6. • In 2008, Delimitation was done based on the 2001 census, but
the total number of seats in the Assemblies and Parliament
decided as per the 1971 Census was not changed.
• The constitution has also capped the number of Lok Shaba &
Rajya Sabha seats to a maximum of 550 & 250 respectively
and increasing populations are being represented by a
single representative.
• Although the freeze on the number of seats in Lok Sabha and
Assemblies should have been lifted after the 2001 Census,
another amendment has postponed this until 2026.

7. THANK YOU
Sources-
https://eci.gov.in/
https://www.drishtiias.com/