Wide disparities in the number of voters across Lok Sabha constituencies have sharpened the case for delimitation, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah arguing that MPs from heavily populated seats struggle to adequately represent their electorate.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Shah pressed for rationalisation of voter distribution across constituencies, linking it to the effective implementation of the proposed 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures from 2029. He urged the Opposition to back the legislation, stressing that delimitation was essential to uphold the principle of “one person, one vote” in both letter and spirit.
Highlighting the imbalance, Shah pointed to Telangana’s Malkajgiri constituency, which has more than 37.8 lakh electors, among the highest in the country. “MPs from such constituencies cannot cater to the aspirations of such a large voter base,” he said.
Data from the Election Commission for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections highlights the uneven distribution. At least five constituencies across four states have electorates exceeding 20 lakh, with two seats crossing the 30 lakh mark. Besides Malkajgiri, Bengaluru North in Karnataka has over 32.15 lakh voters, while Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh accounts for nearly 29.48 lakh electors. Gautam Buddha Nagar, also in Uttar Pradesh, has 26.81 lakh voters, and West Delhi stands at around 25.92 lakh.
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At the other end of the spectrum, several constituencies have a markedly smaller electorate. Lakshadweep has just about 58,000 voters, making it the smallest by electorate size. Daman and Diu has roughly 1.34 lakh voters, Ladakh around 1.9 lakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli about 2.83 lakh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands approximately 3.15 lakh.
An official noted that these figures may have shifted following the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
Delimitation involves redrawing the boundaries of Lok Sabha constituencies, which in turn alters the composition of Assembly segments within them. Typically, each parliamentary constituency comprises at least five Assembly segments.
According to government-issued FAQs on the proposed women’s reservation law — which was defeated in the Lok Sabha — delimitation is a prerequisite for implementing quotas effectively.
The current cap of 550 Lok Sabha seats was fixed in 1976, when India’s population stood at 54 crore. With the population now estimated at 140 crore, the government has argued for increasing the strength of the House to 850 to ensure more equitable representation.
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