Delimitation Row in Parliament: What Changes with 850 MPs?
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has proposed electoral reforms, but the Samajwadi Party president has accused the BJP of polluting politics with electoral fraud. The proposed reforms aim to increase accountability between voters and elected representatives. The BJP's alleged electoral malpractices have sparked a surge of anger among the people, with thousands of charter flights taken by BJP members during the elections cited as an example.
- •Summary Box: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, sparking a debate on the need for delimitation.
- •Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has termed this move as a "joke," while BJP leaders argue that it is a "democratic necessity" to ensure accountability from elected representatives.
Summary Box: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has proposed increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850, sparking a debate on the need for delimitation. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has termed this move as a "joke," while BJP leaders argue that it is a "democratic necessity" to ensure accountability from elected representatives.
What is Delimitation?
Delimitation is the process of redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies to ensure that each constituency has an equal number of voters. The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 543, which was fixed in 1971. With the population of India increasing to over 140 crore, the BJP argues that the number of MPs should be increased to reflect the growing population.
Why is Delimitation Necessary?
The BJP claims that delimitation is necessary to ensure that each constituency has an equal number of voters. This, they argue, will lead to more accountability from elected representatives and ensure that the North and South Indian states do not feel unfairly represented. However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has countered that increasing the number of MPs to 850 would turn the Lok Sabha into a "desi" version of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference.
Key Provisions / Legal Framework
- ▸Article 81 of the Constitution of India deals with the composition of the Lok Sabha and the delimitation of constituencies.
- ▸The Delimitation Commission is responsible for delimiting the constituencies and is headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
- ▸The Commission is required to submit its report to the President, who then lays it before both Houses of Parliament for approval.
The Numbers That Matter
- ▸The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 543.
- ▸The proposed strength of the Lok Sabha is 850.
- ▸The population of India is over 140 crore.
- ▸The total number of voters in India is over 900 crore.
Historical Context
The concept of delimitation has been in existence since the 1950s, when the first Delimitation Commission was set up. Since then, there have been several delimitation exercises, with the most recent one being in 2002. However, the current proposal to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 is a new development.
Significance and What Changes Now
If the proposal to increase the strength of the Lok Sabha to 850 is accepted, it will have significant implications for the functioning of Parliament. It will require changes to the rules and procedures of the Lok Sabha, as well as the delimitation of constituencies. The BJP claims that this will lead to more accountability from elected representatives, but the Congress has expressed concerns that it will lead to a loss of representation for smaller states.
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:::callout Did You Know?
The concept of delimitation was first introduced in India through the Delimitation Commission of 1952, which was set up to delimit the constituencies for the first Lok Sabha. Since then, there have been several delimitation exercises, with the most recent one being in 2002.
CATEGORY: national TAGS: delimitation, parliament, lok sabha, bjp, congress, accountability, representation SOURCE: The Hindu
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