Study OAS · 15 April 2026

Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026

What's the News?

The Union Government has proposed The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeking to increase Lok Sabha strength from 543 to 850 members and amend delimitation rules to enable immediate implementation of one-third women's reservation in Parliament and State Assemblies.
The Bill targets Articles 81, 82, and 334A of the Constitution and is accompanied by the Delimitation Bill, 2026, which replaces the Delimitation Act, 2002.

Composition of Lok Sabha (Amendment to Article 81):
- The new maximum strength of the Lok Sabha shall be 850 members.
- 815 members will be chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States.
- 35 members will represent the Union Territories.
Delimitation Exercise (Amendment to Article 82):
- Removes the mandatory link between delimitation and the first Census conducted after the year 2026.
- Allows the Delimitation Commission to redraw constituencies based on the latest published Census figures (effectively the 2011 Census data).
- The stated objective is to expedite the implementation of women's reservation without waiting for the completion and publication of the next Census.
Women's Reservation (Amendment to Article 334A):
- Amends the provisions of the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam).
- Allows the one-third reservation for women to be operationalised immediately after the upcoming delimitation exercise, rather than waiting for a post-2026 Census delimitation.

Objective: To replace the Delimitation Act, 2002 and provide a legal framework for the redrawing of constituencies.
Delimitation Commission:
- Composition: To be chaired by a sitting or former Supreme Court Judge. Members include the Chief Election Commissioner (or an Election Commissioner nominee) and the State Election Commissioner of the relevant state.
- Associate Members: Ten members from each state (5 MPs and 5 MLAs) will be nominated to assist the Commission but will not have voting rights.
Criteria for Delimitation: Constituencies shall be drawn to be geographically compact areas, taking into account administrative boundaries, communication facilities, and public convenience.
Legal Standing: Orders of the Delimitation Commission, upon publication in the Official Gazette, shall have the force of law and cannot be challenged in any court of law.

Constitutional Provisions:
- Article 81: Defines the composition of the Lok Sabha. Currently, it mandates that the House shall consist of not more than 550 elected members.
- Article 82: Provides for the readjustment of seats in the Lok Sabha and the division of each State into territorial constituencies after each census.
- 84th Amendment Act, 2001: Placed a freeze on the number of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies until the first census taken after the year 2026.
Delimitation Commission:
- A high-level body established under the Delimitation Commission Act.
- It is responsible for redrawing the boundaries of various assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies based on a recent census.
- The orders of the Commission have the force of law and cannot be challenged in any court.
Historical Context:
- The last major change in seat numbers occurred in 1973 (based on the 1971 census) via the 31st Amendment Act, which increased seats from 525 to 545.