Lok Sabha Seats To Be Increased From 543 To 850; Centre To Table Constitution Amendment Bill In Parliament
The Bill will be tabled in Parliament when its meet from April 16 to 18. It needs to be passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Published : April 14, 2026 at 6:21 PM IST
|Updated : April 14, 2026 at 6:26 PM IST
New Delhi: The BJP-led government at the Centre on Tuesday proposed to amend the Constitution and increase the strength of Lok Sabha seats from the existing 543 to 850 through the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirty-First Amendment) Bill.
Amid opposition by the DMK, the Amendment Bill will be introduced in the Parliament from April 16 to 18. It aims to increase the seats in the Lok Sabha - the lower house of the Parliament from 543 to 850.
The three-day extended Budget session of the Parliament called by the ruling dispensation is scheduled to kickoff from April 16.
"The Constitution (One Hundred And Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, a Bill further to amend the Constitution of India. Be it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows: This Act may be called the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Act, 2026. It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint," read the Bill, proposed to be introduced in the Parliament.
As per the Bill, there would be amendment of Article 81. "In article 81 of the Constitution, the following clause shall be substituted, namely: The House of the People shall consist of- not more than eight hundred and fifteen members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States and not more than thirty-five members to represent the Union 10 territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide," it stated.
"In this Article, the expression "population" means the population as ascertained at such census, as Parliament may by law 15 determine, of which the relevant figures have been published," it stated.
The Bill also proposes for Amendment of in Article 82 of the Constitution. "In the marginal heading, for the words after each census, the words of constituencies shall be substituted. For the words upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats, the words the allocation of seats shall be substituted.For the words by such authority and in such manner, the words in such manner and on the basis of such census, by the Delimitation Commission, shall be substituted," reads the Bill.
Notably, the Opposition has been critical against the ruling dispensation to convene a special session of Parliament in the midst of Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The Opposition parties including Congress have opined that the issue is not related to the women's reservation, as that has been already settled, but it is related to delimitation.
Political activist Yogendra Yadav slammed the Narendra Modi-led for introducing the Bill. "But, contrary to the assurance of the Prime Minister and ministers, there is nothing in this bill to ensure that the present proportion of seats for each state would be maintained. It lifts the existing freeze (based on 1971 census, extended to post 2026) completely without any safeguard the government was promising," Yadav said.
The Bill will have to be passed by both the Parliament - the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and then would need an approval from the President for it to become an Act.
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