UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — How proposed delimitation would redraw political map

Q1. Under the Delimitation Act, 2002, the Delimitation Commission that carries out the readjustment of constituencies is appointed by which authority?

  • A. The Central Government
  • B. The Election Commission of India
  • C. The Registrar-General and Census Commissioner
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q2. The Delimitation Act, 2002 — under which the last delimitation exercise was carried out on the basis of the 2001 Census after the 84th Constitutional Amendment — is administered by which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Law and Justice
  • C. Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
  • D. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

Q3. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 froze the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the States strictly at the level determined by the figures of one particular Census. The figures of which Census year were frozen?

  • A. 1961
  • B. 1971
  • C. 1981
  • D. 2001

Q4. After the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 became infructuous. Union Territories and their legislative arrangements fall under the administrative purview of which Union Ministry?

  • A. Ministry of Law and Justice
  • B. Ministry of Home Affairs
  • C. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
  • D. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Q5. The delimitation package that collapsed in April 2026 consisted of how many Bills, and how many of them became infructuous after the lead Bill was negatived on a vote?

  • A. Two Bills, of which one became infructuous
  • B. Three Bills, of which two became infructuous
  • C. Three Bills, of which one became infructuous
  • D. Four Bills, of which three became infructuous

Q6. In the 2011-Census-based reallocation illustrated for the 2026 delimitation proposal, which single State stood to gain the largest number of additional Lok Sabha seats?

  • A. Bihar
  • B. Rajasthan
  • C. Uttar Pradesh
  • D. Madhya Pradesh

Q7. In the United States, the decennial reapportionment of the 435 seats of the House of Representatives among the States is based on population counts produced by which agency?

  • A. The Federal Election Commission
  • B. The U.S. Census Bureau
  • C. The Government Accountability Office
  • D. The Electoral College

Q8. With reference to the Census bases used or proposed for delimitation in India, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The 42nd Amendment (1976) froze the inter-State allocation of Lok Sabha seats at the 1971 Census.
  2. The 84th Amendment (2001) permitted the readjustment of constituency boundaries within States using the 2001 Census.
  3. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed the 2011 Census as the base for a fresh reallocation of seats.
  4. The next Census, with reference date 1 March 2027, was expected to yield results in time for use before the 2029 general elections.
  • A. 1 and 4
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 3 and 4

Q9. Unlike Lok Sabha seats, which delimitation would redraw, the representatives of the States in the Rajya Sabha are elected by which of the following?

  • A. The people of the State directly
  • B. The elected members of the State Legislative Assembly
  • C. The members of the State Legislative Council
  • D. The Lok Sabha members representing that State