Lok Sabha

Also called: House of the People, Article 81 · Topic: Parliament: Composition, Powers and Law-making · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 10 "Grassroots Democracy – Part 1: Governance"; Class 7, Ch 9 "From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Governments"; Class 8, Ch 5 "Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System"; Class 8, Ch 6 "The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive"; Class 9, Ch 7 "Elections"; Class 11, Ch 5 "Legislature"

Meaning

The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower House of Parliament. The people elect its members directly. Article 81 allows up to 550 elected members, and today it has 543 seats. Each state's share of those seats is still based on the 1971 census.

It matters because the Lok Sabha controls the government. The Council of Ministers stays in office only while the Lok Sabha supports it (Article 75(3)).

Explanation

Composition: who sits in it and how they are elected

• Maximum size (Art. 81): 550 elected members.
• Up to 530 come from the states.

• Up to 20 come from the Union territories (UTs).

• Today's strength: 543 seats. The 18th Lok Sabha was formed after the 2024 general election.

• Single-member territorial constituency: each area elects one member. Constituencies are meant to have roughly equal populations.
• Universal adult suffrage: every citizen aged 18 or above can vote, whatever their caste, sex, religion or wealth.
• First-past-the-post (FPTP): the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority of the votes.
• Reserved seats (Art. 330): some seats are kept for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
• The 2008 delimitation raised SC seats from 79 to 84 and ST seats from 41 to 47 [5].

Why older books say 552

• Anglo-Indian: a person of European descent on the father's side who lives in India.
• Art. 331: the President could nominate (choose, not elect) up to 2 Anglo-Indians to the Lok Sabha if the community was not adequately represented.

• This gave the old figure: 550 elected + 2 nominated = 552.

• 104th Amendment, 2019:

• It ended these nominations from 25 January 2020. Governors' nominations to state assemblies under Art. 333 also ended.
• It extended SC/ST reservation by 10 years, to 25 January 2030 (Art. 334) [4].
• It was introduced as the Constitution (126th Amendment) Bill, 2019. The Lok Sabha passed it on 10 December 2019 and the Rajya Sabha on 12 December 2019 [4].

The seat freeze and delimitation

• Delimitation: fixing the number of seats for each state and drawing the boundary of each constituency according to population.
• An independent Delimitation Commission does this under a Delimitation Act.

• Courts cannot question its orders.

• Art. 82: seats are supposed to be readjusted after every census. Three amendments changed this:

• 42nd (1976): froze each state's share of seats on the 1971 census until 2000 [2].
• 84th (2001): extended the freeze until the first census after 2026 [2].

• 87th (2003): allowed boundaries to be redrawn on the 2001 census, with state totals unchanged.

• Why the freeze?

• Without it, states that controlled population growth, such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, would lose seats.

• The freeze removed this penalty for family planning.

• What ends the freeze: Census 2027, with reference date 00:00 hours, 1 March 2027. For Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date is 1 October 2026 [6].

Term, extension and dissolution

• Term (Art. 83(2)): five years from the date of its first meeting, not from the date of the election. When five years end, the House is dissolved automatically.
• Extension during a national emergency (declared under Art. 352 for war, external aggression or armed rebellion):
• Parliament can extend the term by law, one year at a time.

• The extension cannot continue beyond six months after the emergency ends.

• Early dissolution (Art. 85(2)(b)): the President can dissolve the House before its term ends:

• when no party or coalition can form a government, or
• on the advice of the Prime Minister.

In the Constitution and practice

• Key articles:
• Art. 81: size.
• Art. 82: readjustment after each census.
• Art. 83(2): term.
• Art. 85(2)(b): dissolution.
• Art. 330: SC/ST seats.
• Art. 330A: women's seats.

• Art. 75(3): responsibility of ministers.

• The Lok Sabha controls the government (Art. 75(3)):

• The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha alone. This means all ministers stand or fall together.
• If the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion (a vote saying the House no longer supports the government), the whole ministry must resign.

• The Rajya Sabha cannot remove the government.

• The Emergency years:

• The 5th Lok Sabha was elected in 1971. Its term was extended during the 1975–77 Emergency, and it was dissolved in early 1977.

• The 42nd Amendment (1976) made the term six years. The 44th Amendment (1978) brought back five years.

• 2008 delimitation:

• It worked under the Delimitation Act, 2002, using the 2001 census.
• The total stayed at 543 [5].

• The state-wise split is set out in the Representation of the People Act, 1950, as amended in 2008 [5].

• Women's reservation: the 106th Amendment, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam):

• Art. 330A: one-third of directly elected seats are reserved for women, including one-third of the SC and ST seats [2].
• Art. 334A: the quota starts only after the delimitation that follows the first census after the 2023 Act [2]. It lasts 15 years, and Parliament can extend it by law.

• Reserved seats rotate after each later delimitation.

• The 2026 attempt to enlarge the House:

• The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill was introduced on 16 April 2026 along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill [2][3].
• It proposed:
  • a maximum of 850 seats (states 815, UTs 35)
  • delimitation based on the 2011 census [2][3]
• It was voted down in the Lok Sabha in the 16–18 April 2026 sitting. The other two Bills depended on it, so they became infructuous (pointless) [3].
• The 1971 census therefore still decides each state's share of seats.

Don't confuse with

• Rajya Sabha: it is a permanent House and is never dissolved (Art. 83(1)). The Lok Sabha has a five-year term and can be dissolved early.
• Bill number vs Act number: the 126th Amendment Bill became the 104th Amendment Act. Similarly, the 128th Bill became the 106th Act.
• Seat freeze vs boundary redrawing: the 84th Amendment froze each state's share of seats. The 87th Amendment allowed constituency boundaries to be redrawn on the 2001 census, without changing state totals.
• Term start: the five years run from the House's first meeting, not from the election date or the date results are declared.

Prelims Hooks

• Art. 81: maximum 550 elected members (530 from states, 20 from UTs). The present strength is 543.
• 104th Amendment, 2019: ended Anglo-Indian nomination (Arts. 331/333) and extended SC/ST reservation to 25 January 2030 (Art. 334) [4].
• 1971 census freeze: the 42nd (1976) froze seats until 2000, the 84th (2001) extended this to the first census after 2026, and the 87th (2003) allowed boundaries to be redrawn on the 2001 census.
• 2008 delimitation: 84 SC seats and 47 ST seats under Art. 330 [5].
• Term trap: the 42nd Amendment made the term 6 years. The 44th brought back 5. An emergency extension is one year at a time and cannot run beyond six months after the emergency ends.
• Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026: it proposed an 850-seat House and 2011-census delimitation, and it was defeated in the Lok Sabha in April 2026 [3].

Mains Points

• Population vs federal fairness:
• "One person, one vote, one value" means seats should follow population.
• If seats were shared out by the 2011 census with the total kept at 543, Tamil Nadu would lose 7 seats (39 to 32) and Kerala 5 (20 to 15). Uttar Pradesh would gain 9 (80 to 89) and Bihar 6 (40 to 46) [2].

• Possible fixes: a bigger House so that no state loses seats (the failed 850-seat plan), a weighted formula, or a stronger Rajya Sabha.

• Women's reservation delayed:

• Art. 334A ties the quota to Census 2027 and the delimitation that follows, so its start date is uncertain.
• The 2026 plan to start it earlier on 2011 data failed along with the 131st Amendment Bill [3].

• Critics call this "reservation deferred". Supporters say fresh data is needed so that reserved seats are fair.

• Size and term safeguards:

• Each MP now represents about 25 lakh people. A larger House would bring MPs closer to voters, but it could weaken debate.
• The 1976 extension and the six-year term show that a fixed term can be stretched during an emergency. The 44th Amendment's return to five years shows that regular elections are a key check on government.

Related concepts

• Anglo-Indian nominated seats

Read more

• The Lok Sabha: composition, seats and term