The government is preparing for a delimitation exercise in the coming months. A working paper from the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has proposed a new approach: instead of a uniform criterion, India should split its 170 largest Lok Sabha constituencies using a targeted criterion. This would increase the total strength of the Lok Sabha from 543 to 824 seats.
Key Proposals of the EAC-PM Paper
The paper, authored by EAC-PM member Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor of the Indian Statistical Institute, recommends splitting 59 constituencies into two and 111 constituencies into three. This exercise is expected to raise voter turnout in the next general election by 0.3 to 2.3 percentage points, which translates to an additional 90 lakh to 2.3 crore voters.
Regional Distribution of Seat Splits
Under the proposed model, Kerala and Tamil Nadu would account for 22 of the 59 two-way splits. For three-way splits, Uttar Pradesh would see the most (17), followed by Maharashtra (12), Bihar (10), and West Bengal (10). As a result, the number of seats in southern states would increase: Telangana from 17 to 26, Andhra Pradesh from 25 to 38, Karnataka from 28 to 42, Tamil Nadu from 39 to 59, and Kerala from 20 to 30. Among northern and western states, Maharashtra would rise from 48 to 72, Rajasthan from 25 to 38, Uttar Pradesh from 80 to 120, Madhya Pradesh from 29 to 44, Gujarat from 26 to 39, and Bihar from 40 to 60.
The paper notes that implementing this formula would keep the share of seats for southern states and the more populous northern and western states broadly unchanged: 23.6% versus 23.7% and 45.2% versus 45.6%, respectively.
Challenges of Large Constituencies
The paper highlights growing constituency size as a challenge. In 2024, the median Lok Sabha constituency had 18.2 lakh registered electors, while the largest had over 32 lakh voters. Large constituencies have high voter loads and uneven participation across groups, which amplifies representation gaps.
Voter Turnout and Gender Disparities
The paper notes that ST-dominated constituencies now have among the highest voting rates, while highly urban constituencies have seen turnout decline. Women in these urban constituencies register the lowest turnout. To address this, the paper advocates measures such as women-only polling booths in metropolitan constituencies, extending polling hours into the evening to accommodate time constraints of urban working women, and improving transport access to boost female participation in elections.
