UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Tamil Nadu’s delimitation conundrum
Q1. Once the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the States ceases to operate, the readjustment of that allocation is to be carried out by which one of the following?
- A. A Delimitation Commission constituted by the Central Government under a law made by Parliament
- B. The Election Commission of India, in exercise of its power of superintendence over elections
- C. The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, under the Ministry of Home Affairs
- D. The Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice, by executive notification
Q2. Which one of the following was the first constitutional amendment to freeze the number of Lok Sabha and State Assembly seats allotted to each State on the basis of the 1971 Census?
- A. The Constitution (Thirty-first Amendment) Act, 1973
- B. The Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976
- C. The Constitution (Eighty-fourth Amendment) Act, 2001
- D. The Constitution (Eighty-seventh Amendment) Act, 2003
Q3. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Delimitation Bill, 2026 were introduced in the Lok Sabha by which one of the following Ministries?
- A. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which handles the census and internal administration
- B. The Ministry of Law and Justice, through its Legislative Department
- C. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, which manages government business in the House
- D. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which compiles population data
Q4. With reference to the three delimitation-related Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha in April 2026, consider the following statements:
1. The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed to raise the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, of whom up to 815 would be from the States.
2. The Delimitation Bill, 2026 empowered the Election Commission of India to constitute the Delimitation Commission for the exercise.
3. The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was meant to carry the women's quota to the legislatures of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir.
4. After the Constitution Amendment Bill was negatived, the two accompanying ordinary Bills were referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposed to raise the maximum strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, of whom up to 815 would be from the States.
- The Delimitation Bill, 2026 empowered the Election Commission of India to constitute the Delimitation Commission for the exercise.
- The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was meant to carry the women's quota to the legislatures of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir.
- After the Constitution Amendment Bill was negatived, the two accompanying ordinary Bills were referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q5. The 'special majority' that a Constitution Amendment Bill must secure in each House under Article 368 means which one of the following?
- A. A majority of the total membership of that House, and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting
- B. A majority of not less than two-thirds of the total sanctioned membership of that House, whether present or absent
- C. A majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present in the House, counting those who abstain from the division
- D. A majority of the members present and voting, followed in every case by ratification by not less than half the State legislatures
Q6. An amendment of the Constitution under Article 368 can be initiated only in which one of the following ways?
- A. By the introduction of a Bill for the purpose in either House of Parliament
- B. By the introduction of a Bill in the Lok Sabha alone, on the lines applicable to Money Bills
- C. By a resolution to that effect passed by not less than one-half of the State legislatures
- D. By a recommendation of the President addressed to both Houses of Parliament
Q7. With reference to the seat projections for a delimitation based on the 2011 Census, as compared with the present 1971-Census-based allocation, consider the following statements:
1. Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats would fall from 39 to 32, while Uttar Pradesh's would rise from 80 to 89.
2. Kerala would lose five seats, and Rajasthan would gain five, moving from 25 seats to 30.
3. Bihar's rise from 40 to 46 seats would be the largest absolute gain among the States.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Tamil Nadu's Lok Sabha seats would fall from 39 to 32, while Uttar Pradesh's would rise from 80 to 89.
- Kerala would lose five seats, and Rajasthan would gain five, moving from 25 seats to 30.
- Bihar's rise from 40 to 46 seats would be the largest absolute gain among the States.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q8. On the projections for a 2011-Census-based delimitation, which one of the following States would record the largest gain in Lok Sabha seats measured as a proportion of its present strength?
- A. Uttar Pradesh
- B. Bihar
- C. Rajasthan
- D. Madhya Pradesh
Q9. The Joint Action Committee on delimitation, at its first meeting in Chennai, asked the Centre to extend the existing 1971-Census-based freeze on parliamentary constituencies by how many more years?
- A. 15 years
- B. 25 years
- C. 30 years
- D. 50 years
Q10. As set out in the resolution adopted at the first meeting of the Joint Action Committee on delimitation, the demand for 'fair delimitation' rests on which one of the following propositions?
- A. States whose population share fell because they implemented population-control programmes should not be penalised, and the exercise must be transparent and deliberative
- B. Every constituency in the country should be redrawn to contain an identical number of voters, cutting across district and State boundaries as required
- C. Seats should be reallocated among the States in proportion to their contribution to central tax revenues rather than to their population
- D. The exercise should be entrusted to the Election Commission alone, without a commission headed by a serving or retired Supreme Court judge
Q11. The reservation of one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha for women, whose commencement was made contingent on a census-based delimitation exercise, was enacted through which one of the following?
- A. The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023
- B. The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Act, 2023
- C. The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Act, 2010
- D. The Constitution (One Hundred and Fifth Amendment) Act, 2021
Q12. Consider the following statements comparing the delimitation exercise begun in 2002 with earlier exercises and with the arrangement proposed in 2026:
1. The Commission constituted in 2002 could redraw constituency boundaries within States and revise seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but could not alter the number of seats allotted to any State.
2. The orders of the Commission constituted in 2002 were finalised in 2008.
3. Under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Commission was to be chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner, with a serving or retired Supreme Court judge as an associate member.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Commission constituted in 2002 could redraw constituency boundaries within States and revise seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, but could not alter the number of seats allotted to any State.
- The orders of the Commission constituted in 2002 were finalised in 2008.
- Under the Delimitation Bill, 2026, the Commission was to be chaired by the Chief Election Commissioner, with a serving or retired Supreme Court judge as an associate member.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3