The federal dilemma of delimitation

Delimitation means the process of determining the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies in each state for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly. | Photo credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a resolution urging the Center to permanently freeze the number of Lok Sabha seats at the current 543 and maintain the current state-wise distribution of these seats. It also advocated maintaining the current ratio of 2.2:1 between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats. She sought to introduce a one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha from the 2029 elections without linking it to any future census or delimitation.

Delimitation means the process of determining the number of seats and boundaries of territorial constituencies in each state for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly. This “Process of Delimitation” is carried out by a “Delimitation Commission” which is established by an Act of Parliament. The last time the number of mandates was determined was based on the 1971 census.

Published – 17 Aug 2026 07:00 IST