‘Since it’s written, it has to be done’: Law minister’s delimitation push comes with Constitution jibe at Opp

Meghwal
o
delimitatio
a d
oppositio

NEW
DELHI:
U io
law
mi iste

A ju
Ram
Meghwal
o
Thu sday
said
delimitatio
is
a
“co stitutio al
ma date”
a d
asse ted
that
the
exe cise
must
be
ca ied
out
afte
2026,
as
p ovided
u de
the
Co stitutio .Speaki g
i
ANI
,
Meghwal
c iticised
the
Oppositio
ove
its
objectio s
to
delimitatio ,
sayi g
that
while
oppositio
leade s
“ca y
the
Co stitutio
a ou d
with
them”,
they
do
ot
ead
its
p ovisio s.“Delimitatio
is
a
co stitutio al
ma date.
They
ce tai ly
ca y
the
Co stitutio
a ou d
with
them,
but
they
do ‘t
actually
ead
what
is
w itte
i
it,”
Meghwal
said.

He
said
the
Co stitutio
p ovides
fo
the
f eezi g
of
Lok
Sabha
seats
u til
2026,
afte
which
delimitatio
must
take
place.“Seats
a e
to
emai
f oze
u til
2026,
afte
which
delimitatio
must
take
place.
Si ce
it
is
w itte
the e,
it
has
to
be
do e,”
the
U io
mi iste
said.The
co ce s
a e
pa ticula ly
amo g
southe
states,
that
a
populatio -based
edist ibutio
could
educe
thei
elative
ep ese tatio .

What
is
delimitatio ?

Delimitatio
is
the
p ocess
of
ed awi g
the
bou da ies
of
Lok
Sabha
a d
state
assembly
co stitue cies
based
o
populatio .

U de
A ticle
82
of
the
Co stitutio ,
the
exe cise
is
to
be
ca ied
out
afte
eve y
ce sus.The
aim
is
to
e su e
that
co stitue cies
have
b oadly
simila
populatio
sizes,
although
thei
geog aphical
a eas
ca
va y
sig ifica tly.
Each
state
is
allocated
a
ce tai
umbe
of
seats
i
Pa liame t
a d
its
assembly
based
o
the
populatio
figu es
used
fo
delimitatio .

Why
we e
Lok
Sabha
seats
f oze ?

I dia
ca ied
out
delimitatio
exe cises
i
1952,
1962
a d
1972.
Howeve ,
the
42 d
Co stitutio al
Ame dme t
i
1976
f oze
the
umbe
of
Lok
Sabha
seats
based
o
the
1971
Ce sus,
i
pa t
to
e su e
that
states
that
had
successfully
impleme ted
populatio -co t ol
measu es
we e
ot
pe alised
with
fewe
pa liame ta y
seats.The
84th
Co stitutio al
Ame dme t
i
2001
exte ded
the
f eeze
o
the
allocatio
of
seats
amo g
states
u til
afte
2026.A
delimitatio
exe cise
was
u de take
i
2008,
but
it
used
the
1971
Ce sus
to
etai
the
existi g
dist ibutio
of
Lok
Sabha
seats
amo g
states.
It
p ima ily
i volved
ed awi g
co stitue cy
bou da ies.