UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘Centre’s approach to delimitation wrong’

Q1. With reference to the constitutional freeze on delimitation, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment froze the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among States on the basis of the 1971 census.
  2. The freeze was intended to avoid penalising States that had effectively controlled their population.
  3. The 84th Constitutional Amendment extended the freeze until the first census taken after 2026.
  4. The 84th Constitutional Amendment was enacted in the year 2011.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q2. With reference to the effect of the delimitation freeze, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under the 84th Amendment, the number of seats allotted to each State in the Lok Sabha remains frozen.
  2. The 84th Amendment permitted the re-drawing of territorial constituencies within States on the basis of the 2001 census.
  3. The freeze applies only to the Lok Sabha and never to the State Legislative Assemblies.
  4. The freeze on inter-State seat allocation is to end with the first census after 2026.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q3. The following are cited as legislative measures forming the delimitation package introduced in Lok Sabha on 16 April 2026. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as part of that package?

  1. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026
  2. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
  3. The Delimitation Bill, 2026
  4. The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, 2026
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q4. Which one of the three Bills introduced on 16 April 2026 amends the Constitution to allow Parliament to determine when delimitation is undertaken and which census it is based on?

  • A. The Delimitation Bill, 2026
  • B. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
  • C. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026
  • D. The Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2026

Q5. With reference to the constitutional provisions on the composition of the Lok Sabha, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 81 deals with the composition of the House of the People.
  2. Article 82 provides for the readjustment of seats after each census.
  3. Seats in the Lok Sabha are allotted to each State in proportion to its population.
  4. Article 82 requires that every State, however small its population, be allotted at least twenty Lok Sabha seats.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q6. Consider the following pairs of constitutional Articles and their subject-matter. Which of the pairs given above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Article 81 — Composition of the House of the People
  2. Article 82 — Readjustment after each census
  3. Article 170 — Composition of the State Legislative Assemblies
  4. Article 324 — Allotment of Lok Sabha seats to States in proportion to population
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q7. The Women's Reservation Act, 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) was enacted as which Constitutional Amendment Act?

  • A. The 105th Constitutional Amendment Act
  • B. The 106th Constitutional Amendment Act
  • C. The 128th Constitutional Amendment Act
  • D. The 129th Constitutional Amendment Act

Q8. Under the scheme of the Women's Reservation Act, 2023, the delimitation exercise required to actually operationalise the one-third reservation for women is to be carried out by which authority?

  • A. The Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • B. A Delimitation Commission constituted by the Central Government
  • C. The National Commission for Women
  • D. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

Q9. With reference to the Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It was chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.
  2. It increased the total number of Assembly seats to 90.
  3. It allotted six additional seats to the Kashmir division and one additional seat to the Jammu division.
  4. The five Lok Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir were associated as associate members.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following correctly states the legal status of the final orders of a Delimitation Commission once they are published in the Gazette of India?

  • A. They have the force of law and shall not be called in question before any court
  • B. They take effect only after ratification by both Houses of Parliament
  • C. They can be challenged before the High Courts under Article 226
  • D. They come into force only after the assent of the President

Q11. Four Delimitation Commissions (1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002) have been constituted in India. In this context, the term 'delimitation' most precisely refers to:

  • A. The act of redrawing the boundaries of territorial constituencies and readjusting the number of seats on the basis of the latest census
  • B. The demarcation of the international land boundaries of the country
  • C. The reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in legislatures
  • D. The periodic revision and updation of electoral rolls before every general election

Q12. Southern States' apprehension of losing their Lok Sabha seat share is tied to the ending of the freeze on inter-State seat allocation, which currently continues until the first census after 2026. This freeze period is mandated by which constitutional provision?

  • A. The proviso to Article 82, as inserted by the 84th Amendment
  • B. Article 81, as originally enacted
  • C. Article 82A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment
  • D. Article 170, as amended in 2001