Question : DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCIES

(a) whether a Delimitation Commission is appointed after every 10 years to rationalize the equal representation in constituencies;

(b) if so, when the Delimitation Commission has become due;

(c) whether the Government have ascertained that there is a large number of migration from South to North as a result of which the population in North specially around NCR have immensely increased and a Member of Parliament represent 15 to 30 lacs voters in constituencies of NCR;

(d) whether the Government are reconsidering its decision and fix delimitation of constituencies by appointing a Delimitation Commission; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF LAW, JUSTICE & COMPANY AFFAIRS AND SHIPPING (SHRI ARUN JAITLEY)

(a) & (b): An authority as may be determined by Parliament by law for readjustment of the constituencies, as provided in articles 82 and 170(3) of the Constitution is appointed upon completion of each census. However, at present, there is a constitutional embargo on undertaking readjustment of territorial constituencies which may lapse on the publication of figures of current decennial population census unless such embargo is extended further.

(c) to (e): In the year 1972, a Delimitation Commission was constituted pursuant to the enactment of the Delimitation Act, 1972 which based its report on the readjustment of territorial constituencies on the figures of the 1971 census. Thereafter, a constitutional embargo was imposed by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976. Based on the consensus arrived at in a meeting of political parties held on 13.5.2000, the Government decided to extend the aforesaid embargo up to the year 2026 as a motivational measure to enable State Governments to pursue the agenda of population stabilisation. To give effect to this decision, the Government has introduced the Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Bill, 2000 in the Lok Sabha on 27.11.2000 which seeks to extend the aforesaid constitutional embargo on undertaking readjustment of the constituencies up to the year 2026 as also to undertake readjustment and rationalization of electoral constituencies, including those reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, based on the population census for the year 1991, without altering the number of seats allocated to the States in the legislative bodies. The measure is aimed at correcting the population imbalance among various constituencies caused due to the uneven growth/migration of population. The Bill has been referred to the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs for examination and report. After enactment of the said Bill, another Bill may be required for constituting the Delimitation Commission.