UPSC Prelims 2024 Q71: Delimitation Commissions of India — Explained
How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India till December 2023?
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
Answer: (d) Four
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — India has had more than one Delimitation Commission. The first was set up in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, and used the 1951 Census. Parliament passed a fresh Delimitation Act after later censuses, and each Act led to a new Commission.
- b: incorrect — Two covers only the commissions of 1952 and 1963. The Election Commission of India lists two more: one in 1973 under the Delimitation Act, 1972, and one in 2002 under the Delimitation Act, 2002.
- c: incorrect — Three stops at the 1973 Commission, which drew constituencies on the 1971 Census. It leaves out the fourth Commission, set up in July 2002 under the Delimitation Act, 2002 and chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kuldip Singh. That Commission redrew boundaries on the 2001 Census.
- d: correct — The Election Commission of India states that Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times: in 1952 (Delimitation Commission Act, 1952), 1963 (Delimitation Commission Act, 1962), 1973 (Delimitation Act, 1972) and 2002 (Delimitation Act, 2002). No new nationwide Delimitation Act was passed after 2002, so the count was still four in December 2023.
How to eliminate
Option logic does not settle this question. It is a pure recall question, so remember this chain: a Census leads to a Delimitation Act, and the Act leads to a Commission. Delimitation was done after the 1951, 1961 and 1971 Censuses. Then the 42nd Amendment (1976) froze it until after the 2001 Census, and the next round came only with the Delimitation Act, 2002. That gives four commissions: 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002. If you remember only the freeze and the Kuldip Singh Commission (2002), you can still count back three census-based rounds before the freeze (1951, 1961, 1971) and reach four. Be careful with recent news. The 2020 commission for Jammu and Kashmir under Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, and the 2023 Assam exercise done by the Election Commission itself, are not counted in the standard list of four.
Know more
Delimitation is the fixing of the number of seats and the boundaries of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies. After every Census, Parliament may pass a Delimitation Act under Article 82 (Lok Sabha) and Article 170 (State Assemblies). The Centre then sets up a Delimitation Commission under that Act.
| Commission | Constituted under | Census used |
|---|---|---|
| 1st – 1952 | Delimitation Commission Act, 1952 | 1951 |
| 2nd – 1963 | Delimitation Commission Act, 1962 | 1961 |
| 3rd – 1973 | Delimitation Act, 1972 | 1971 |
| 4th – 2002 | Delimitation Act, 2002 (Justice Kuldip Singh) | 2001 (after the 2003 amendment; originally 1991) |
Key features
- Composition (2002 Act): a retired or serving Supreme Court judge as chairperson, the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner he nominates, and the State Election Commissioner of the state concerned. MPs and MLAs serve as associate members, but they cannot vote.
- Finality: its orders have the force of law and cannot be challenged in any court. They are laid before the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly, but neither House can modify them.
- The freeze: the 42nd Amendment (1976) froze each state's share of seats at the 1971 level. The 84th Amendment (2001) extended the freeze until the first Census after 2026. The 87th Amendment (2003) allowed boundaries, but not seat shares, to be redrawn on the 2001 Census.
- Not counted in the four: the 2020 commission for Jammu & Kashmir (final order May 2022, 90 Assembly seats) dealt with only one region. Assam's 2023 delimitation was done by the Election Commission under Section 8A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, not by a commission.
In the news
Delimitation was in the news through 2022–23. The Jammu & Kashmir commission issued its final order in May 2022, and the Election Commission published Assam's delimitation in August 2023. In September 2023, the Women's Reservation Act tied the start of the women's quota to the next delimitation after a new Census. The phrase 'till December 2023' in the question suggests UPSC framed it around these events.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Delimitation Commission: The question counts these bodies, so know that each one is created under its own Delimitation Act.
- Delimitation: Defines the process each commission carries out, which tells you what is being counted.
- Freeze on delimitation: The 1976 freeze explains the long gap between commissions and why the count is so low.