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Indian PolityMedium

Who heads a Delimitation Commission in India?

  1. A.The Chief Election Commissioner
  2. B.A serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court
  3. C.The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
  4. D.The Union Home Minister

Correct answer

B. A serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court

Explanation

The correct answer is B, a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, who is appointed chairperson of the Commission. The other members are ex officio: the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner nominated by him, and the State Election Commissioner of the state whose constituencies are being delimited. A judge is placed at the head because the work decides political boundaries and must be seen to be impartial, and because the Commission's orders, once notified, have the force of law and cannot be questioned in any court. Option A is wrong because the Chief Election Commissioner sits on the Commission but is not its chairperson. Option C is wrong because the Speaker presides over the Lok Sabha, which may discuss a delimitation order but cannot alter it. Option D is wrong because the Commission is deliberately kept outside the hands of the political executive, and no minister is a member of it.

Read the full article: Delimitation, Seat Reservation and Women's Reservation Act

Practice Questions

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Q1.Indian PolityEasy

Which 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?

  1. A.Article 80
  2. B.Article 81
  3. C.Article 82
  4. D.Article 84
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Article 82

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.

Q2.Indian PolityMedium

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 reserves one-third of the seats for women in which of the following?

  1. A.The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha only
  2. B.The Lok Sabha, the state legislative assemblies and the Delhi legislative assembly
  3. C.All state legislative councils and the Rajya Sabha
  4. D.Only the panchayats and municipalities
Show answer
Correct answer: B. The Lok Sabha, the state legislative assemblies and the Delhi legislative assembly

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.

Q3.Indian PolityHard

Which amendment extended the freeze on the allocation of Lok Sabha seats among the states until the first census taken after the year 2026?

  1. A.42nd Amendment, 1976
  2. B.84th Amendment, 2001
  3. C.87th Amendment, 2003
  4. D.91st Amendment, 2003
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 84th Amendment, 2001

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.

Q4.Indian PolityMedium

The Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023 inserted which of the following Articles?

  1. A.Articles 330A, 332A and 334A
  2. B.Articles 243D and 243T
  3. C.Articles 331 and 333
  4. D.Articles 324 and 325
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Articles 330A, 332A and 334A

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…