The Supreme Court will hear Naresh Balyan's plea challenging his bail denial. The Delhi High Court previously rejected his bail application in a MCOCA case. Balyan is accused of facilitating a crime syndicate run by gangster Kapil Sangwan. The high court found an active criminal nexus between
The Delhi High Court has sought responses from Abhijit Iyer Mitra and others. A Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson filed a plea alleging privacy violations. The court issued notices and summons regarding the disclosure of residential details. X, formerly Twitter
A Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta has banned any construction or development within 100 metres of Jojari River in Rajasthan,hearing a suo motu case on Monday (August 24, 2026). The court also prohibited hazardous industries within 500 metres of the river’s flow path
The Congress party criticises the Modi government's aggressive privatisation agenda for India's space program. They question the rationale behind weakening ISRO's capabilities and transferring its assets. Reports indicate ISRO's role in rocket development will be severely limited by this new policy
Chlorine gas leak at a water treatment plant in Nagpur shortly after midnight on Monday (August 24, 2026) sent nearby residents running for safety and left many people gasping for breath, officials said. Several people were hospitalised after the leakage occurred in a 900-kg capacity chlorine gas
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said Bengal must emerge as a major investment destination as he highlighted the state's cooperation with the Centre in defence, infrastructure and industrial development. His remarks came as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Adhikari virtually
BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remained responsive to youth concerns and shown that political differences can be set aside to improve government systems. BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani said the Prime Minister has been attentive to the
In April 2025, the Modi government made a dramatic U-turn and announced that it would count caste in India’s next census. At the time, it made sure to take potshots at its predecessor, the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government, for not including caste in the 2011 census
How should India redistribute seats in an expanded Lok Sabha
The defeat of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill in Parliament on April 16 has reignited the debate about delimitation – redrawing the boundaries of electoral constituencies to ensure that the share of the population is distributed fairly among them.
The bill sought to increase the maximum representation in the Lok Sabha to 850.
The delimitation bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority in Parliament because it sought to carry out delimitation based on the 2011 Census, effectively bypassing the constitutional requirement to wait for the first Census after 2026, which was already underway.
In addition, Southern states maintained that they would be penalised by delimitation. They point out that their success in controlling population growth compared to Northern states could reduce their share of representation in an enlarged parliament.
Since the delimitation bill has been defeated, the task of finding a solution to the challenge of redrawing the boundaries of constituencies to ensure fair representation is more urgent now than ever.
Perhaps India could take a lesson from Europe and look to its “Cambridge compromise” of 2011 as it decides how the seats of an enlarged Lok Sabha should be apportioned among the Indian states and Union Territories.
There is no doubt that the Lok Sabha needs to be expanded. Currently, 1.5 billion Indians are represented by just 543 MPs, each of whom represents roughly 2.8 million people. Every Indian MP represents a population approximately the size of Qatar.
By contrast, the European Parliament, representing approximately 450 million people, has 720 members. This means that each Member of the European Parliament represents approximately 625,000 people.
According to Article 82 of the Indian Constitution, the Delimitation Commission is entrusted with the task of redrawing the constituencies based on the data of the most recent census. This practice was followed until the 1970s. Constituencies were redrawn to account for decadal changes due to natural increases in population and migration.
However, this provision meant that states that had a higher fertility rate would enjoy greater political representation across generations. This contradicted the Indira Gandhi government’s population control objective.
As a consequence, in 1976, through the 42nd Amendment, Parliamentary seats that were determined by the 1971 Census were frozen till the 2001 Census so that states were not penalised for effectively executing family planning programmes. This freeze was later extended till 2026, working on the assumption that all the states would have stabilised their population growth by this point.
This has created a discrepancy between the number of voters per constituency: the sole MP of Lakshadweep represents approximately 60,000 voters but MPs in Rajasthan represent approximately 3 million voters. This violates the parity in the value of the vote of each elector.
In 1971, the states of Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh (undivided, including Chhattisgarh) had a population parity of about 42 million people. As a result, Tamil Nadu got 39 seats and Madhya Pradesh has 37. Now, according to the 2011 Census, the present population of Madhya Pradesh is slightly more than that of Tamil Nadu. But while Madhya Pradesh has 29 seats, Tamil Nadu has 39.
Europe offers a useful model for parliamentary representation.
In many respects, the European Union and India are similar. Both have a socially and culturally diverse population. Members of the European Parliament are elected by direct universal suffrage, for five-year terms, like in India.
The principle of “digressive proportionality” used to determine the distribution of the 720 seats in the European Parliament among the 27 member-states could be localised to the Indian context.
In the European Parliament, more populous member-states each have more seats than small ones, but smaller member-states have more seats per population.
According to this principle, the representation ratios of member states – that is, the population figure divided by the number of seats before rounding – decrease from a more populous member state to a less populous member state.
While the Netherlands has more seats overall, with 31 compared to Denmark’s 15, each Dutch MEP represents around 590,000 people, compared to about 400,000 per Danish MEP.
The Lisbon Treaty of 2007 added another safeguard by setting the maximum number of seats to 96 for the largest member-state of Germany and the minimum number to six for the smallest member-states of Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus.
To achieve this, the Committee on Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament commissioned a group of mathematicians to recommend a formula that would apportion the seats of the among member states in a manner that was “durable, transparent and impartial to politics”.
This led to the publication in 2011 of the “Cambridge Compromise” , which was drafted abiding by the constraints set by the Lisbon Treaty. The recommendations proposed a two-step process termed the “ base+prop method”.
Under this formula, in the first stage, a fixed number of seats is allocated to each country. In the second stage, the remainder is distributed proportionally to population sizes with upwards rounding. This rule does not apply to the most and least populous countries, for which a maximum ceiling and minimum floor is predetermined.
Though the Cambridge Compromise was rejected after Brexit in 2020 in favour of a “pragmatic solution” where no European Union country loses any seats and underrepresented countries gained between one and five seats, it could be adjusted and localised to the Indian context.
In the Indian case, the seats for the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh could be capped, with a similar floor applied for the least populated states and Union Territories. The principle of degressive proportionality could be applied to the other states and Union Territories, with the larger states having more seats in total, but the small states receiving more seats per capita.
This is not to say that this system does not have critics. Despite the composition of the European Parliament broadly adhering to the principle of degressive proportionality, some scholars say it is a highly unequal parliament.
They argue that smaller member states are overrepresented, leading to a “structural democratic deficit” in the European Union.
In the Indian context, however, the bigger challenge would be to garner the political will to enact such dramatic parliamentary reforms.
Irrespective of the solution adopted, it’s clear that India should utilise this opportunity to reform representation in the Parliament in a way that protects the interests of smaller states while simultaneously distributing seats to reflect population differences.
Vishwesh Sundar is a lecturer of International Relations at Leiden University in the Netherlands. A previous version of the article was published by the University of Cambridge in May 2020.
Source: Scroll
Related Posts: India, Politics, lok sabha southern states share, lok sabha seats after delimitation 2026, lok sabha seats after delimitation 2026 state wise, cambridge compromise formula
Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana has sparked outrage after footage emerged of him leaving the dais during the National Anthem. Opposition leaders have called for his apology, questioning his respect for national sentiments. In his defense
14 hours ago
The upkeep of Delhi's iconic Lutyens bungalows, now nearly a century old, is becoming increasingly expensive - annual expenditure on the renovation, furnishing and repair of the official residences of Union Ministers touched a record high of ₹92.35 crore in 2025-26
1 days ago
Industrialist Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for an hour. Sources described the meeting as a courtesy visit while returning to the airport. The meeting occurred amid a proposed tunnel road project for which Adani Enterprises is the lowest bidder
1 days ago
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda has clarified his statements regarding Sajjan Kumar's death, denying he ever referred to the former MP as a role model. He underscored his family's long-standing opposition to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, firmly reiterating their commitment to advocating for the rights and
1 days ago
A project in Assam to improve the quality of an elephant habitat could turn a botanical liability into a carbon-rich asset. For decades, Assam Forest Department officials have struggled to deal with at least half a dozen invasive alien plants (IAPs) that have been constricting local vegetation and
1 days ago
At a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Union ministers were handed report cards. They were not being assessed for their performance as ministers but on how active and effective they have been on social media. Each minister was ranked based on an evaluation of their social media presence between May 1
1 days ago
The Indian Overseas Congress USA Telangana Chapter voiced disappointment over denied political clearance for Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's US trip. The Ministry of External Affairs cited the program's inappropriateness for the office held by the Chief Minister
1 days ago
Expressing her firm stance, Mayawati, the BSP chief, has rejected the idea of substituting caste-based reservations with economic ones, arguing that it would harm the broader national interest. She pointed to constitutional protections for historically marginalized groups and condemned Congress
1 days ago
Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatro Ki Goonj' program focused on young women in Pune. Congress leaders stated the program's message reached Delhi, causing visible panic. Supriya Shrinate highlighted the platform provided for women to voice their concerns. Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol criticized the program
1 days ago
Prime Minister Modi met the BJP's new national office-bearers, stressing public connection and organizational strength. The party announced a nationwide 'Seva Sankalp Abhiyan' from September 17 to October 17. This campaign aims to spread the spirit of service associated with Modi's public life
1 days ago
Sikh leaders protested outside Rahul Gandhi's residence on Saturday. They demanded an apology for Congress leaders' remarks about Sajjan Kumar. Sajjan Kumar, convicted in the 1984 riots, recently passed away. Protesters stated that such statements reopened old wounds for families
2 days ago
The Bharatiya Janata Party passed a resolution defending Vande Mataram's national status. This action strongly condemned the Congress Working Committee's recent decision regarding the song. The BJP affirmed the constitutional and statutory protection of the complete National Song
2 days ago
BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Saturday (August 22, 2026) held the first meeting with the party's newly appointed national office-bearers to discuss poll strategy and grassroots outreach, party sources said. The meeting focused on preparations for upcoming State Assembly elections
2 days ago
Two workers were killed and 11 others were injured in a reactor blast in a pharmaceutical firm in Dothigudem in Pochampally in Yadadri district late on Friday (August 21, 2026) night. The factory is about 50 km from Hyderabad. According to police officials
2 days ago
The Supreme Court has redefined the term 'industry' for new labor cases. This ruling will not affect past or pending cases under the old law. The Congress party expressed concern over this significant change. They believe it weakens essential safeguards for many workers
2 days ago
BJP MP Dharmendra Pradhan accused Congress of appeasement politics regarding the Vande Mataram song. He stated the party's true face has been exposed to the nation. West Bengal Congress President Subhankar Sarkar rejected these allegations from the BJP
2 days ago
Claiming that “rule of law” prevails in Bengal now with the new BJP government in power, Shah said the previous government did not implement BNS in Bengal so that they could promote cut money, syndicate raj and corruption. He praised CM Suvendu Adhikari who has fulfilled 43% of the poll
2 days ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged faster reforms and greater ease of living. He expressed confidence that a stable India will contribute to world stability. India has been an oasis of political stability amidst global fluctuations. The government is committed to uplifting the youth, farmers
2 days ago
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday asked the Union government to provide a legislative assurance that any state’s representation in Parliament will not reduce due to the delimitation exercise, The New Indian Express reported
2 days ago
Welcome to The India Fix by Shoaib Daniyal. A newsletter on Indian politics. As always, if you’ve been sent this newsletter and like it, to get it in your inbox every week, sign up here (click on “follow”). “I was never involved in corruption
2 days ago
A Congress delegation petitioned the Election Commission regarding voter list irregularities. They alleged eligible voters' names were struck off electoral rolls. People were declared absent and young individuals marked deceased without cause. Notices were not reaching recipients
3 days ago
Karnataka's Chief Minister DK Shivakumar urged the Southern Zonal Council to retain the 1971 census for delimitation. He also requested maintaining the Lok Sabha's strength at 543 for the next twenty-five years. Shivakumar sought to accommodate women's quota within the existing strength without
3 days ago
Farmers in Karnataka's Cauvery basin intensified protests on Thursday, opposing water release to Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery Water Management Authority ordered Karnataka to release water, which Tamil Nadu seeks to enforce. Protesters questioned the decision
4 days ago
Journalist Tarun Tejpal, former editor of Tehelka magazine, on Thursday (August 20, 2026) appealed in the Supreme Court against the August 6, 2026, judgment of the Bombay High Court sentencing him to 10 years imprisonment in a 2013 rape case. His appeal comes as the State of Goa
4 days ago
The Congress Working Committee adopted a resolution addressing key national concerns. Youth unemployment and numerous paper leaks were highlighted as critical issues. Allegations of financial irregularities in Ram temple donations were also raised
4 days ago
Manipur Congress chief O Ibobi Singh stated the Centre can resolve state issues quickly. Civil society groups are petitioning Union ministers for NRC updation before the Census. They aim to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and other key leaders. Students also protested
4 days ago
KPCC president Sunny Joseph stated the ED probe findings against Veena T are not political witch-hunting. He noted the CPI(M) has not denied the facts revealed by the agency. The Enforcement Directorate seized handwritten notes and digital devices during searches
4 days ago
