Delimitation Commission of India

The Delimitation Commission of India is a temporary statutory body constituted to redraw the territorial boundaries of parliamentary and state assembly constituencies using census data. Its mandate is to secure broadly equal population across constituencies, while determining constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in accordance with the Constitution and the applicable Delimitation Act.

Constitutional and statutory basis

Under Articles 82 and 170, Parliament provides by law for readjustment of Lok Sabha and state assembly constituencies after a census. Parliament has accordingly enacted Delimitation Acts, including the Delimitation Act, 2002, under which the latest nationwide commission was constituted.

• The Commission consists of a serving or former Supreme Court judge as Chairperson, the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by the Chief Election Commissioner, and the State Election Commissioner concerned.
• Associate members drawn from Parliament and the concerned state legislature assist the Commission, but do not decide matters through voting.

Core statutory mandate

The Commission divides each state into territorial constituencies within the constitutional and statutory limits governing the number of seats. It must work on the basis of the relevant census figures and follow prescribed delimitation principles.

• It redraws constituency boundaries so that, as far as practicable, the population of every constituency is broadly equal.
• It considers physical features, administrative boundaries, communication facilities and public convenience while forming geographically compact constituencies.
• It identifies seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, having regard to their population and constitutional requirements.
• It publishes proposals, considers objections and suggestions, and conducts public sittings before issuing final orders.

Authority and limits

The Commission's final orders have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court. They are laid before the Lok Sabha and the concerned state legislatures, which cannot modify them.

• The Commission cannot independently override constitutional limits on readjusting the allocation or total number of seats.
• The present constitutional framework postpones such readjustment until figures from the first census taken after 2026 become available.