UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Constitution Amendment Bill moots possible change in size of State Assemblies

Q1. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, which sought to end the delimitation freeze, was piloted and introduced in the Lok Sabha 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

Q2. Under Article 170(1) of the Constitution, the Legislative Assembly of a State shall consist of not more than how many members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies?

  • A. 450
  • B. 500
  • C. 530
  • D. 550

Q3. The proviso to Article 170 that the 2026 Bill sought to delete postpones the readjustment of State Assembly seats until the publication of the relevant figures of which Census?

  • A. The 2021 Census
  • B. The first Census taken after the year 2000
  • C. The first Census taken after the year 2026
  • D. The 2031 Census

Q4. In the context of the 2026 Bills, the term 'delimitation' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. Redrawing the boundaries and readjusting the number of seats of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies on the basis of the latest specified Census
  • B. Fixing the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes within existing constituencies
  • C. Demarcating the territorial boundaries between States by a States Reorganisation Commission
  • D. Apportioning the number of Rajya Sabha seats among the States

Q5. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed to raise the maximum sanctioned strength of the Lok Sabha to how many seats?

  • A. 543
  • B. 753
  • C. 850
  • D. 888

Q6. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 was negated because it failed to secure the special majority mandated for constitutional amendments by which Article of the Constitution?

  • A. Article 82
  • B. Article 170
  • C. Article 331
  • D. Article 368

Q7. With reference to the composition of the Delimitation Commission, which of the following is NOT correctly identified as a member?

  1. A retired judge of the Supreme Court, who chairs the Commission
  2. The Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by him, as an ex-officio member
  3. The State Election Commissioner of the State concerned, as an ex-officio member
  4. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, as an ex-officio member
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4

Q8. With reference to the North-South seat-share debate over a fresh delimitation, which of the following statements is NOT correct?

  1. The delimitation freeze in force since the 1970s has protected the seat share of States that curbed their population growth.
  2. A fresh population-based delimitation is expected to raise the relative seat share of high-growth northern States.
  3. The operationalisation of the one-third women's reservation had been tied to the delimitation exercise.
  4. A population-based delimitation would increase the relative seat share of the southern States that stabilised their population.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q9. The one-third women's reservation, whose operationalisation the Bills taken up in the April 2026 session sought to link to delimitation, is provided for by Article 334A of the Constitution. Article 334A provides for which one of the following?

  • A. Reservation of one-third of the seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies
  • B. Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha
  • C. Disqualification of members on the ground of defection
  • D. Readjustment of constituencies by a Delimitation Commission after every Census