The Centre has proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha from the current 543 seats to up to 850 through a Constitutional Amendment Bill, linking the move to a delimitation exercise based on updated census data and aiming to operationalise women’s reservation before the 2029 general elections.
The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, 2026, which has been circulated among Members of Parliament, seeks to revise provisions governing the composition of the House of the People and the allocation of seats across states and Union Territories (UTs). The government is expected to introduce the Bill during a Special Session of Parliament scheduled for April 16 and 17.
At present, the Lok Sabha has 543 elected members. The Bill proposes to amend Article 81 (Composition of the House of the People) to allow for not more than 815 members from states and up to 35 from Union Territories, taking the total strength to 850.
The proposed changes are tied to a fresh delimitation exercise. Amendments to Article 82 (Readjustment after each census) and Article 170 (Composition of the Legislative Assemblies) provide that seat allocation will be carried out “in such manner and on the basis of such census, by the Delimitation Commission.”
The Bill states that the objective is to enable the implementation of one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies at the earliest. According to the statement of objects and reasons, “the next census and the consequential delimitation exercise thereafter will take considerable time and thus, delay the effective and dedicated participation of women in our democratic polity.”
It adds that the proposed law seeks to operationalise reservation for women, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, through delimitation based on the latest published census data.
At present, seat allocation continues to rely on 2011 Census figures, while the next Census exercise, which began on April 1, is being conducted in phases.
The Bill also standardises the definition of “population” across provisions, stating:
“In this article, the expression ‘population’ means the population as ascertained at such census, as Parliament may by law determine, of which the relevant figures have been published.”
Changes have also been proposed to Article 332 (Reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the Legislative Assemblies of the States), with provisions to ensure proportional representation for Scheduled Tribes in certain northeastern states.
A key feature of the Bill is the insertion of Article 334A (Reservation of seats for women), which introduces reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The provision states that it will come into force “after an exercise of delimitation is undertaken for this purpose.”
It further provides that: “The seats reserved for women… shall be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in a State or Union territory.”
The reservation will operate for 15 years, unless extended by Parliament.
The government is also expected to bring separate legislation on delimitation, along with an enabling law to extend the provisions to Union Territories with legislatures, including Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry.
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