Lok Sabha Defeats Bill to Lift Seat Cap From 550 to 850, Leaving 1976 Freeze in Place

The number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to each state has been frozen since 1976, and the freeze is written into the Constitution. It runs until figures from the first census taken after 2026 are published. On 16 April 2026, the government introduced a bill that would have raised the Lok Sabha's ceiling from 550 to 850 seats and linked women's reservation to a fresh delimitation. The Lok Sabha defeated it the next day, on 17 April.

The bill was the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026. It fell short of the two-thirds majority that a constitutional amendment needs, and the companion Delimitation Bill, 2026, was dropped with it.

What Delimitation Means and What Article 82 Requires

Delimitation is the readjustment of Lok Sabha seats among the states and of constituency boundaries within each state. Article 82 of the Constitution requires that readjustment after each census, in the manner Parliament sets by law. The article is the source of the freeze.

The article then sets an exception. Until the relevant figures for the first census taken after 2026 have been published, it is not necessary to readjust the allocation of seats to states as readjusted on the basis of the 1971 census. The division of states into constituencies, as readjusted on the 2001 census, is held the same way.

In practice, two older data sets remain in use for the freeze period. State-wise seat numbers rest on 1971 population figures, and constituency divisions rest on 2001 figures. Parliament is not required to change either one until the post-2026 figures are out.

How the 1976 Freeze Began and Was Extended

The freeze dates to 1976. During the Emergency, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi enacted the Forty-Second Amendment, which postponed the reapportionment of Lok Sabha seats until after the 2001 census.

The Eighty-Fourth Amendment, dated 2001 or 2002, carried the freeze forward to the first census taken after 2026. That cut-off is the one Article 82 now states.

For the period between the two cut-offs, neither the state-wise seat allocation nor the constituency divisions are redrawn on later population figures. The 2026 bill would have started readjustment on 2011 figures, ahead of that cut-off.

What the Bill Proposed for Lok Sabha Seats

The bill would have raised the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha from 550 to 850. Of the 850 seats, up to 815 would have gone to states and up to 35 to union territories, according to Carnegie. LiveLaw gives the current strength of the house as 543.

The bill would have used the 2011 census as the base for delimitation. The companion Delimitation Bill provided that the latest published census on the date a Delimitation Commission is constituted would be used, which PRS says implies the 2011 census. PRS also says the constitutional amendment would let Parliament pass a law setting when delimitation takes place and which census it uses.

The bill's statement of objects and reasons says the next census and the delimitation after it will take considerable time and thus delay the effective and dedicated participation of women.

The government described the plan as a 50% uniform increase in seats across all states, but The Wire notes that the bill texts did not specify this. Carnegie approximates that model by scaling each state's current seat allocation by 50 percent; on that basis, Uttar Pradesh would rise from 80 to 120 seats and Bihar from 40 to 60.

Why the Opposition Rejected the Link

The Lok Sabha voted on 17 April 2026. Of 528 members present and voting, 298 voted in favour and 230 against. A constitutional amendment needed 352 votes, two-thirds of those present, so the bill fell 54 votes short.

One objection was to the 2011 base. LiveLaw reports that critics argued it would disproportionately reduce the representation of southern and north-eastern states. Opponents also questioned the timing, noting that the 2026-27 census was already under way.

Opposition members asked the government to delink women's reservation from delimitation and to document the promised 50% increase, according to The Wire. They said they supported women's reservation but criticised the government for seeking fundamental changes to the Constitution, including a larger Lok Sabha.

Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin thanked Gandhi for voicing concerns against delimitation, according to The Wire. Carnegie says the defeat has sharpened the debate rather than settled it.

A constitutional amendment needed 352 votes, two-thirds of those present, so the bill fell 54 votes short.

Where Women's Reservation Stands After the Defeat

The 106th Amendment Act of 2023 reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislatures for women. The Wire notes that the Act passed unanimously. Carnegie reports that this reservation cannot take effect until the 2027 census is completed and a new delimitation is carried out.

PRS says the bill would have removed the requirement that women's reservation follow the first census after the 2023 Act. That change would have allowed the reservation to apply on the basis of a 2011-based delimitation, rather than waiting for the 2027 census results.

After the vote, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju withdrew the Delimitation Bill, 2026 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, according to LiveLaw. PRS lists the Delimitation Bill as infructuous from 17 April, the day after its introduction on 16 April.

What Happens Next

Carnegie reports that no fresh delimitation can take place until the results of the next census, which it describes as currently underway, are officially published. Under the same analysis, any delimitation after that must be based on population unless the Constitution is amended.

The ongoing census has a reference date of 1 March 2027, according to PRS.