NEW FORMULAS FOR FAIR FEDERALISM

ARTICLE 81 of the Constitution states that seats should be distributed among and within states on the basis of population in such a way that the “the ratio between the number (of seats) and the population of the state is, so far as practicable, the same for all states”.

- SANTOSH MEHROTRA

That ratio was similar in 1951 and 1971. But the situation has changed dramatically in the half century since.

This piece proposes two major reforms that could achieve the three objectives of increasing Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha sizes to factor in the tripling of India's population between 1971 and 2025, conducting the much-delayed delimitation and instituting reservation for women. Proposal one addresses the first two objectives and proposal two the third.

Proposal One: Delimitation

The 84th Constitutional Amendment on delimitation articulated “population stabilisation” as a motivation for extending the freeze on seats. On this ground, the logic underlying the method of another constitutional body, the Finance Commission, is notable. Among the criteria it uses for allocating finances to states are total population (50 percent weight) and demographic performance (12.5 percent). It’s logical for the delimitation exercise to also reward or penalise states for demographic performance.

The proposed principle relates to population size as well as demographic performance. Under it, no change would be made to the allocation of seats to states among the prevailing 543 LS seats, but demographic performance would be applied to the additional ones to account for population growth.