Freeze on Interstate Allocation of Lok Sabha Seats

The freeze on interstate seat allocation means that the number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to each state is not readjusted according to later population changes. The freeze was introduced by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976, and extended by the 84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001, until publication of the figures of the first Census taken after 2026.

Amendments that created and extended the freeze

• The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 froze the readjustment of Lok Sabha seats among states until the population figures of the first Census after 2000 became available.
• The 84th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2001 extended this freeze until the relevant figures of the first Census taken after 2026 are published.
• Consequently, interstate allocation continues to be tied to the 1971 Census rather than subsequent population changes.

Constitutional operation

The freeze operates through Articles 81 and 82, which govern representation of states in the Lok Sabha and readjustment after each Census. It postpones the population-based redistribution of seats among states, but does not permanently prohibit future readjustment.

• The 87th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 permitted delimitation of constituencies using the 2001 Census in place of the 1991 Census, without changing the total Lok Sabha seats allotted to each state.
• Thus, constituency boundaries and reserved-seat distribution could be revised while the interstate allocation of Lok Sabha seats remained frozen.

Purpose and significance

The freeze protected states that had achieved greater population control from losing relative parliamentary representation. At the same time, it created a long-term tension between rewarding demographic performance and maintaining the democratic principle of broadly equal representation by population.