Article 81 and Equality of Representation

Article 81 makes representation in the Lok Sabha broadly proportional to population rather than giving every State an equal number of seats. It seeks equality of representation both among States and among territorial constituencies within each State, subject to practical and constitutional qualifications.

Two dimensions of population equality

• Under Article 81(2)(a), seats must be allotted so that the ratio between a State's population and its Lok Sabha seats is, as far as practicable, the same for all States.
• Under Article 81(2)(b), each State must be divided into constituencies so that the population-to-seat ratio is, as far as practicable, uniform throughout that State.
• Thus, the principle operates at two levels: interstate allocation of seats and intrastate distribution of constituencies.

Qualifications to strict proportionality

The words “so far as practicable” recognise that perfect mathematical equality is difficult because seats are indivisible and the House has a fixed maximum size.

• The interstate allocation rule does not apply to a State whose population does not exceed six million, protecting very small States from inadequate representation.
• Article 81 permits up to 530 members from States and up to 20 members from Union territories.

Census basis and representational freeze

For interstate seat allocation, Article 81 continues to use the 1971 Census until figures from the first census taken after 2026 are published. For readjusting territorial constituencies without altering State-wise seat totals, it uses the 2001 Census on the same timeline.

• The freeze preserves the existing balance of representation among States despite differing rates of population growth.
• It also creates a federal tension between current population equality and concerns that States with slower population growth should not lose relative political representation.
• Under Article 82, Parliament provides by law for readjustment after each census, subject to these constitutional limitations.