How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted in India so far?
- A.Two, in 1952 and 1973
- B.Three, in 1952, 1963 and 2002
- C.Four, in 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002
- D.Five, in 1952, 1963, 1973, 2002 and 2020
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, four, in 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002. Each was set up under a Delimitation Commission Act passed by Parliament for the purpose, and each worked on the latest available census: the commission of 2002 used the 2001 census after the 87th Amendment made that census the basis. Option A is wrong because it leaves out the commissions of 1963 and 2002. Option B is wrong because it omits the commission of 1973, which worked on the 1971 census and whose allocation of seats among the states is still in force because of the freeze. Option D is wrong because the body constituted in 2020 was a separate delimitation commission for the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, and is not counted among the four all-India Delimitation Commissions.
Read the full article: Delimitation, Seat Reservation and Women's Reservation Act
Practice Questions
View allWhich Article of the Constitution provides for the readjustment of the allocation of Lok Sabha seats and the division of states into territorial constituencies after every census?
- A.Article 80
- B.Article 81
- C.Article 82
- D.Article 84
Show answer
Article 82 says that upon the completion of each census the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to the states and the division of each state into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine.
Read the full explanation →The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 reserves one-third of the seats for women in which of the following?
- A.The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha only
- B.The Lok Sabha, the state legislative assemblies and the Delhi legislative assembly
- C.All state legislative councils and the Rajya Sabha
- D.Only the panchayats and municipalities
Show answer
The amendment inserted Article 330A for the Lok Sabha and Article 332A for the state assemblies, and amended Article 239AA so that the reservation also covers the Delhi assembly.
Read the full explanation →Which amendment extended the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the states until the first census taken after the year 2026?
- A.42nd Amendment, 1976
- B.84th Amendment, 2001
- C.87th Amendment, 2003
- D.91st Amendment, 2003
Show answer
The 42nd Amendment had frozen the allocation on the 1971 census only until the census after 2000; as that date approached, the 84th Amendment pushed the freeze forward to the first census taken after 2026, so that states which had controlled population growth would not lose seats.
Read the full explanation →Who heads a Delimitation Commission in India?
- A.The Chief Election Commissioner
- B.A serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court
- C.The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- D.The Union Home Minister
Show answer
The correct answer is B, a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, who is appointed chairperson of the Commission.
Read the full explanation →The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 inserted which of the following Articles?
- A.Articles 330A, 332A and 334A
- B.Articles 243D and 243T
- C.Articles 331 and 333
- D.Articles 324 and 325
Show answer
Article 330A reserves one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha for women, Article 332A does the same for the legislative assembly of every state, and Article 334A fixes when the reservation begins and how long it lasts, tying it to the first census after the commencement of the Act…
Read the full explanation →