- By Raju Kumar
- Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delimitation Bill 2026: The government circulated 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026' among MPs, which aims to replace the 2002 law during the special sitting of Parliament this week. The bill enables the Centre to constitute a delimitation commission to distribute the seats in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies based on the "latest census figures".
The Members of Parliament got the bill along with 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026' in an exercise aimed at operationalising the women's reservation law by 2029 elections. Several of the provisions of the new delimitation bill are similar to the 2002 law, which would be repealed.
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Who Will Be Part Of Delimitation Commission?
According to the draft Delimitation Bill, 2026, "The Central Government may, from time to time, by notification, constitute a Commission to be called the Delimitation Commission. The Commission shall comprise of the following members, namely: one member, who shall be a person who is or has been a Judge of the Supreme Court, to be appointed by the Central Government, as the Chairperson of the Commission; the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by the Chief Election Commissioner, ex officio' and the State Election Commissioner of the State concerned, ex officio."
The central government may, by notification, specify the term of the Commission, the bill said. The central government may, on the request of the Commission, extend the term of the Commission by such further period as it may consider necessary, it added.
Why Is Pakistan Mentioned In The Draft?
Pakistan is mentioned in the draft while highlighting the delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir. "The Election Commission shall act as Delimitation Commission for the purpose of delimiting constituencies in the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir falling under the occupation of Pakistan, when the area of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the occupation of Pakistan ceases to be so occupied," the bill said.
"It shall be the duty of the Commission to readjust, on the basis of the latest census figures, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the States and Union territories, the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of each state and the division of each state and Union territories into territorial constituencies for the purpose of elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly," the draft law stated.
The bill also states that the Commission shall associate with itself for the purpose of assisting it in its duties in respect of each state, ten persons, five of whom shall be members of the House of the People representing that state and five shall be members of the Legislative Assembly of that state.
"Provided that where the number of members of the House of the People representing any state is five or less, then, all such members shall be the associate members for that state and in the latter case the total number of associate members shall be less than ten by such number as by which the total number of members of the House of the People representing that state is less than five," it says. The persons to be so associated from each state shall be nominated, in the case of the members of the House of the People, by the Speaker of that House, and in the case of members of a Legislative Assembly, by the Speaker of that Assembly, having due regard to the composition of the House or, as the case may be, of the Assembly.
The bill gives the Commission the power to call upon the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner, India or his nominee; or the Surveyor General of India or his nominee; or any other officer of the central government or state government; or any expert in geographical information systems; or any other person.
(With PTI inputs)