Readjustment of State Assembly Constituencies

Readjustment of State Assembly constituencies means revising the number or territorial boundaries of constituencies after a census. Under Article 170, constituencies should, as far as practicable, provide broadly equal population per seat throughout a State.

Constitutional population principle

Under Article 170(2), the ratio between the population of each constituency and the seats allotted to it must, so far as practicable, be the same across the State. Population means the population recorded by the last preceding census whose relevant figures have been published.

• The phrase “so far as practicable” permits limited departures from strict mathematical equality.
• Under the Delimitation Act, 2002, boundaries may also account for physical features, administrative boundaries, communication facilities and public convenience.

Present census baselines

The Constitution presently separates the basis for determining a State's total Assembly seats from the basis for drawing constituencies.

• Until figures of the first census taken after 2026 are published, the total number of Assembly seats need not be readjusted from the allocation based on the 1971 Census.
• Territorial constituencies may be readjusted using the 2001 Census population figures during this period.
• The freeze does not automatically end in 2026; the constitutional trigger is publication of relevant figures from the first census conducted after that year.

Authority and commencement

Under Article 170(3), after each census the readjustment is undertaken by the authority and in the manner determined by Parliament. Parliament exercises this power under Article 327, including through delimitation legislation.

• A readjustment does not affect representation in an existing Assembly until that Assembly is dissolved.
• The President may specify the date from which a completed readjustment takes effect.