The allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the states is governed by Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution in a two-stage process which is set out in two separate sub-paragraphs of Article 2 of Article 81. Image for representation only. | Photo credit: Getty images/iStockphoto
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha on Thursday (April 16, 2026) that the proposed increase in its size — from the current maximum of 550 seats to a maximum of 850 — would be done in such a way that each state in the country would have an additional 50% seats. Mr. Shah also read out the exact numbers for several states — Tamil Nadu from 39 to about 59, Karnataka from 28 to 42, Kerala from 20 to 30, Andhra Pradesh from 25 to 38 and Telangana from 17 to 26. Mr. Shah said that he would explain on Friday (April 2026) how these proposals would be explained in the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill and Delimitation Bill. The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary assured that the present ratio of seats of each state in the Lok Sabha, which was fixed on the basis of the 1971 population in 1973, would remain unchanged.
The allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the states is governed by Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution in a two-step process, which is set out in two separate sub-paragraphs of Article 81 Article 2. The first step is the allocation of seats among the individual states. The second step is to divide each state into territorial constituencies. These two separate steps are enshrined in the Constitution to balance the principles of federalism (representation of states) and democracy (representation of the individual – the principle of “one person, one vote, one value”).
Published – 16 Apr 2026 22:46 IST
